Tale of the Twins
by excelsis
Summary: Continuation of What are You? from the Alternate Ending. It's about the twins growing up, passing through the different eras of Japan.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

_Growing Up_

Naraku paused when he heard the sound of a shriek. That was Shuarra Meitsuki—he was certain of it. Pestering her older brother again. Did she ever stop? Meitsuki never seemed to tire of aggravating Kuraimaru. And he always retaliated, without fail, hence the scream of terror.

He listened to the sound of her footsteps. She came practically flying down the corridor, with a transformed Kuraimaru hot on her heels. She leaped at Naraku, running behind him. "Don't let him kill me!" she screamed. Her twin growled. She yelped and climbed up Naraku, as if he were a tree. He sighed deeply. He had grown used to this over the years, but it didn't mean he could tolerate it well. She clung to his shoulder, halfway slipping. Luckily, she didn't have claws. She found purchase and pulled herself up, hanging her torso over his shoulder for balance. "Aniki-chan is scary!"

"What did she do now?" Naraku wondered, halfway to himself.

Kuraimaru transformed back, glaring at his sister angrily, with a look so akin to Sesshomaru's that it was humorous. "Shuarra Meitsuki broke my door."

"You pushed me!" she cried, pointing at him accusingly.

Naraku felt a wave of Kuraimaru's anger wash over him. They had learned, as he had grown up, that it wasn't so much that he could manipulate others as shove his emotions onto others, forcing them to feel what he was feeling. "Stop it, Kuraimaru," he said. The boy blinked, not even aware of having done so. He nodded and the feeling recessed. "Did you push her?"

"She wouldn't leave my room."

"I wanted Kurai-kun to play with me!" Shuarra whined.

"I wanted to be left alone," he hissed testily.

Shuarra moped. "But, aniki-chan…"

"I want both of you to apologize to each other. Right now," Naraku said.

Thirty-seven years for one human year was really too much. Sesshomaru said that that was about the ratio of what he had aged. These kids were growing up a bit faster. It was the Edo Period now, and the kids had grown up at about 27 years for every one. They were full-blooded youkai, because of the dominant bloodlines, but they aged a bit faster with Naraku being a hanyou. Sesshomaru had said that they should be grateful. Naraku thought he might drown himself. It really was too much sometimes. 27 years of the age of 7 really was far too much.

Kuraimaru looked from Naraku back to Shuarra. She was a perfect shadow of him, all except for her eyes. Rin had somehow managed to put up her hair, though. "I have nothing to apologize for."  
"You chased me! And pushed me! And yelled at me!" Meitsuki complained.

"And you came into my room, without knocking, and wouldn't go away."

"Apologize. Now," Naraku said.

Shuarra nodded. "I apologize, aniki-chan, for annoying you so much that you got angry at Shuarra Meitsuki!"

"Accept," Naraku instructed. He hoped that Kuraimaru would just accept it, and he wouldn't have to reprimand him further. His hope was short-lived.

"I accept your apology for what it is worth," the boy muttered. He really was too smart for his own good. Where was Sesshomaru? He was really the only one Kuraimaru obeyed on a regular basis.

"That isn't good enough," Naraku informed him.

"She's not sorry."

_I don't care if she's not sorry_! "Pretend she is."

Kuraimaru's eyes narrowed. "Why don't you have her pretend to be sorry?" he demanded. He looked away, then back at his sister. "Aneki-chan, I am sorry that you were frightened that I was going to kill you. And also that I pushed you through the paper door." Note that he made no mention of chasing her down the hallway.

She leaped off of Naraku's shoulder, sailed through the air, and fell on her brother, knocking them both to the floor. She wrapped her arms around him. He looked disgusted. "I accept, big brother!"

He pushed her away. "Don't touch me."

She smiled, cocking her head to the side. "Accept my apology, and I won't!"  
"I don't believe you."

She grabbed him again. "Then I'm gonna give you a _big _kiss! I love you, aniki-chan!" She went to kiss his cheek.

He recoiled and stepped away, one hand outstretched to keep his sister away. "Fine, I accept!"

She spun around in a circle joyously. "Yay! Kurai-kun, come play outside with me!" She grabbed on to his wrist and proceeded to drag her older brother through the palace. She stopped when she saw Sesshomaru. He had been gone the past few days, and she had missed her "mother." They had grown up not knowing exactly what to call Sesshomaru, so they often called him "Sesshy." Rin thought it was adorable, and occasionally did the same thing. He had taken to glaring at her when she did, which never bothered her in the least.

Shuarra Meitsuki dropped her brother's wrist and flew at Sesshomaru, wrapping her arms around his legs. "Sesshy-kuuuun!" she squealed with glee. "Shuarra Meitsuki missed you _so_ much!" She looked up at him, smiling. "I love you, Sesshy."

He rested his hand on the top of her head. Sesshomaru had trouble saying "I love you." Everyone had sort of accepted it, and knew that he just couldn't say it aloud, but his actions were what really mattered.

Shaurra Meitsuki suddenly pulled away. "We're going outside!" She grabbed a hold of her brother again and drug him off. He complained the whole way, in his quiet, smartass sort of way.

Naraku approached Sesshomaru and walked beside him. "Something is troubling you. What is it?"

Sesshomaru glanced at him sidelong. "So many of the youkai are disappearing. They're not even being killed. They're simply dying out--vanishing."

"Is that why you've been gone for so long?"

Sesshomaru nodded. "Before Kikyou died, she told me that most of us—most of the youkai—would probably die out. She said it had to do with the way the world was changing."

"The Western influence?"

He looked at Naraku. "It's deeper than that, I think. But it's influencing it."

"Why? How?"

Sesshomaru shook his head. "I'm not certain." He was silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts. Kikyou had died over one hundred years ago. Her false body had finally given out. It didn't seem to have bothered her, though. Sesshomaru had chanced by her at the time, and she had told him this—that the world was changing. And if they could not change with it, they would die. "This happened once before."

"Hm?"

"I was a child at the time, so I don't really remember. But it was on the mainland, far to the west. In Europe."

Naraku blinked. "There were youkai in Europe?"

He nodded. "It seemed as though the early Christians eradicated them, and all memory of them, and the farther the religion spread, the fewer youkai were alive."

"Do you think something as simple as religion has anything to do with it?"

Sesshomaru shook his head. "It's not so much the religion as the fanatical beliefs. In the Feudal Era, humans hated us, but they didn't hunt us down unless a youkai was causing trouble for them. The Christians, however, kill them all." He looked at him. "Some youkai, without the existence of others of their clan or mate, simply die off. The humans are believing that when they are killed by a youkai now… Not that they are dying protecting their families, but that they are dying protecting their souls."

Naraku considered this for a moment. "I see. You're saying that these Christians stop at nothing to kill them. But what do you mean that they 'disappear?'"

Japan still hung tenaciously to traditional beliefs, and so, there were still more youkai here than elsewhere. But, still… It was getting bad, and youkai were afraid to be here as well. Some of them were crossing back to the mainland, through Asia, and down to unexplored regions of Africa. Would it be safer if they made that journey, too? The journey itself was dangerous, but the destination was one of the safer places in the world. "I think they're running," Sesshomaru said quietly. "I think they're running for their lives."

Aniki--brother

Aneki--sister


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_Solution to a Problem_

The door suddenly flew open. An eternally teenage Rin (her aging had just stopped at sixteen after she wished to stay "forever with Lord Sesshomaru" on the Sacred Jewel), stood panting in the doorway.

Sesshomaru frowned. "What's wrong?"

She took a gasp of air. "It's the twins." He set the teacup down. "I can't find them outside—and the back gate is open."

Sesshomaru was up and running before the words had fallen from her lips. Her kimono and hair ruffled with his passing. Naraku was the calmer of the two and exited through the other screen and flew up in the air. He turned back to Rin. "Rin, search the palace."

She nodded. "Right." She turned, lifting her kimono to allow freedom of her legs, and raced through the halls, calling out for the twins.

Once outside, Kuraimaru's natural curiosity and need to explore got the better of him, and soon he was leading Shuarra Meitsuki out of the garden, into the forest. They chased each other through the forest until they were hopelessly lost, but it didn't trouble them. Kuraimaru could smell their way back, and if they were out too long, either Sesshomaru or Naraku, or both, would come looking for them.

Of course, they never wanted them out here unsupervised. The twins didn't see the danger, though.

Shuarra jumped, aiming for a low branch in a tree. She missed, and landed roughly on the ground. Kuraimaru smirked. "You can't jump at all."

"Let's see you do better!" she challenged. He gauged the distance between the ground and the limb. He took a running start and landed on it. He almost lost his balance and fell, but he landed on it. She stuck her tongue out. "Kurai-chan is a show-off!"

"Well, you're baka."

"Am not!" She threw a rock at him. It missed, but that wasn't the point. He smirked again. "I'm gonna kick your butt, Kurai-chan! You meanie!"

"You can't even reach me," he mocked.

Her fingers curled into fists. "Well, if you weren't such a sissy, you'd come down here! Or else you lose!"

"You're a sore loser."

"Shuddup!" She threw another rock. He dodged, but in the process, lost his balance and fell, landing on all fours on the ground. "Yeah!" She shifted in to a fighting stance. "Come on!"

Kuraimaru frowned, ignoring her completely. "Do you hear that?"

She lowered her fists, looking around. "Hear what?" He rose to his feet and walked off, as if in a daze. "Kurai-kun! Where are you going?" He transformed and started running away. "Wait! Don't leave me... Kurai-kun?" She stopped running after him after she lost sight of him. "Kurai-kun… This isn't fair!" She pouted, dropping to the ground, irritated at having been left behind. "Kurai-kun is mean."

Shuarra looked around. She didn't know which way was home. She looked down. "I guess I gotta wait." She froze upon hearing something moving behind her. She turned around, just in time to see the youkai lunge at her.

Sesshomaru could see it coming. It was headed right for Shuarra Meitsuki. But he was still too far away, and he couldn't achieve his full speed amidst the trees. Flying was faster, but considering their weak auras, and size, it was more efficient to track their scent. Kuraimaru wasn't around her. Where was he?

Shuarra Meitsuki wasn't even aware of the youkai stalking her. Almost there. Soon, and that youkai would become his victim. The youkai lunged at her, ready to swallow her. Sesshomaru leaped, closing the distance between himself and the lowly youkai. He swung Tensaiga, powered by the former power of Tessaiga, so that it could kill as well as bring to life. He looked at Shuarra. He was surprised.

Shuarra was sitting in the middle of a youkai barrier. It was weak, but strong enough to repel the weaker youkai, and she couldn't maintain it long. It fell immediately after the threat was over, and she looked a bit drained from both the barrier and the attack. She grabbed a hold of Sesshomaru. "I was so scared!"

He sheathed Tensaiga and picked up Shuarra Meitsuki, who immediately clung to his neck like a leech. "Where is your brother?"

She shook her head. "Don't know. Kurai-kun left me here."

That wasn't like him. He might not always get along with his sister, but he wouldn't have left her like this. What had happened?

Kuraimaru felt like he was watching everything happen, as if he were watching someone else. Or, perhaps, as if he were dreaming. It didn't seem real, and he was very unattached.

He was standing at the edge of an incline, looking over a river. The voice had stopped. Had it ever been there? It felt as though… Some part of him were trying to… What was it? There it was again. The voice. It was his voice, but it wasn't. It was…

He raised one foot over the ledge and let his weight shift to the suspended foot. The voice suddenly broke off. His eyes widened. Too late to reverse his movement now. He had no choice but to succumb to the fall into the river.

Naraku saw Kuraimaru, standing, dazed, looking over a river. He didn't look quite right. In fact, something was very, very wrong. That was when he heard the voice. He was growing accustomed to associating it with trouble.

Humans had learned a technique that actually lures youkai. Not all of them heard it, but enough of them did for it to be effective. It was some kind of spell that was more effective than hunting them, because they could convince the youkai to kill themselves. It was dangerous. Humans were beginning to refer to it as another form of exorcism. It wasn't good enough just to chase a youkai away. It needed to be killed now.

Where was the human? He ignored the voice. There. He crashed through the monk's barrier and killed the man while he was preoccupied. He looked up at Kuraimaru. Had he been in time?

No.

Naraku leaped forward, his tentacles stretching out to catch his son. Kuraimaru landed roughly, but at least he wasn't in the river. He pulled the boy to him, taking him in his arms and pulling the tentacles back into his back. Kuraimaru looked a little haunted. He closed his eyes, then opened them and it was gone.

Maybe it would be safer if they left for a while. Humans were getting more ingenuitive when it came to killing. No wonder there were so few youkai left. They were perfecting their killing techniques and now…

It was dangerous for the children. At least Kuraimaru would remember this next time, though.

"Is Shuarra-kun all right?" he wondered.

"I never saw her," Naraku said. He looked around for any other possible threat. Maybe he should put up a barrier around the palace again. It wouldn't hurt. Except when he did that, it more or less drew attention to himself these days. It was difficult to hide his aura, though he had learned to tone it down quite a bit. "Sesshomaru?" He sensed Sesshomaru's distinct aura nearby. The dog appeared where Kuraimaru had been standing a few moments ago. He was carrying Shuarra Meitsuki. He looked down at Naraku and jumped down nimbly to him.

"What happened?"

Naraku glanced over to the direction the human's corpse lay. "A monk."

Sesshomaru glanced towards it, sniffing the air a little. "I see."

"Do you suppose it would be safer if we were to leave for Africa?"

Sesshomaru scowled.

"Russia?"

"It's too cold for Rin—and Jaken would just hibernate."

Naraku was growing irritated. Sesshomaru really didn't want to leave Japan, but what could they do? The Edo Period was a wonderful time and place to be right now. The world was changing, and they could watch it happen. However, it was growing dangerous. "What if we left to Europe?"

Sesshomaru frowned. "The humans in Europe eradicated all of the youkai there. We would be no better off."

Naraku raised an eyebrow. "What if we play at being human?"

The dog considered. Naraku loved to masquerade; he knew that. But this truly was a bit much. Ah, but none of them spoke any European dialects. How would that work out? "I think it is fairly obvious that we are youkai."

"Humans are always mistaking you for an aristocratic human brat. And I have never had trouble pretending to be human when it is necessary. Rin is human, and I do not think the children would have trouble either. The only real problem is Jaken, and we can just hide him, though I'm sure I could find a way to transform him into something more humanoid."

Why did this just sound like another of Naraku's ridiculous masquerades? Sesshomaru was in no mood to be drug in to it. "European culture is different as well. It isn't only the language. And then there's the racism."

Naraku rolled his eyes, clearly irritated. "It isn't as if you look very Japanese—your skin is white. And I can change my appearance. Truthfully, only Meitsuki and Rin really look Japanese."

"Learn the language, and I'll consider." The dog turned away and began to walk back to the palace.

"Which one?"

Sesshomaru looked back at him. "I care not."

Rin liked the idea of going to Europe immediately. She had never left Japan before, and the idea of such traveling intrigued her. Jaken didn't care one way or another, so long as Sesshomaru would be there. The twins wanted to go as well. It seemed as though everyone was against Sesshomaru.

Naraku and Rin were looking at a map, discussing which European country they should go to. So far, they had narrowed it down to Germany, Italy, France, and England, though they were having difficulties narrowing it any further.

Sesshomaru seemed to refuse to give them any further help in the matter.

"Sesshomaru-sama really doesn't want to leave Japan, does he, Naraku-san?" Rin wondered, tracing Italy with a fingernail idly.

"No."

"But it's getting harder to live here. And we can't pretend to all be human here, where some humans still know about youkai. In Europe, they only exist in stories now. So I think everyone would be safe there." She had a sudden thought. "What about Sesshomaru-sama and the twin's markings?"

He considered. "Meitsuki's marking disappears during the day, so that isn't too much of a problem." Meitsuki's crescent moon marking only appeared at nightfall, and faded with the sun rise. It was interesting to watch, and definitely marked her as unique too, in so many different ways. The part around her eyes wasn't a very big deal, though. The other two, however… "Hm. There's probably a concealment spell for them somewhere." Where could he find it, though. Ah, the vault, perhaps? "I'll go have a look in the vault. You try to pick a country, Rin."

She nodded, carefully scrutinizing France. She picked up a scroll that had information about France on it. "I'll try," she promised.


	3. Chapter 3

_I do not own Inuyasha—Rumiko Takahashi does. I do, however, own Shuarra Meitsuki and Kuraimaru, and the plotline of this tale._

**Chapter Three**

_Shocked Silence_

Because Rin and Naraku were occupying themselves with things Sesshomaru wanted nothing to do with, that left him to watch the children. After their scare in the forest, they were being fairly mellow—even Shuarra Meitsuki. Once she returned to her usual self, Sesshomaru might call Jaken in to watch her. Naraku had put up a more or less reverse barrier within the other one (which he had been rather proud of) that kept the children inside the palace.

For the time being, though, Shuarra Meitsuki was curled up beside Sesshomaru. She hadn't left him since the forest. "Are we going to leave Japan?" she wondered, looking up at him.

Kuraimaru glanced at them, then went back to looking at the scroll, going over his lessons, like Shuarra Meitsuki _should_ be doing right now. "It would be safer."

"But you don't want to go, do you?" she asked him. She sat up and crawled onto his lap, looking up at him intently. "Shuarra is afraid of going across the sea."

"You're afraid of everything," Kuraimaru couldn't resist saying.

She shot to her feet. "Am not!"

He smirked. "You're afraid of rats."

"Rats are creepy!"

"And insects," he continued.  
"So are they!"

He glanced over at her, having a smug expression on his face—so identical to Sesshomaru's. "_And_ you're afraid of snakes."

"Also creepy!"

It was really no surprise about the last one. The first two were stereotypical fears prone primarily to women and young children. The last was similar, but she had a better reason for being afraid of snakes. When she was the human equivalent of two years old, she had been outside in the garden with Rin. They had been picking flowers, and Rin was making circlets out of them. Shuarra Meitsuki had wandered off a little ways in her hunt for the perfect flower to be the centerpiece of her circlet. As she waded through the flowers, she stepped on a poisonous snake, who, in turn, bit her ankle. She had been ill the rest of the day, but her body quickly flushed out the poison. However, since then, she had carried a terrible fear of snakes.

"You're a baby," he said, matter-of-factly.

_Here it goes…_

"Am not! Take that back now!" she yelled, preparing to lunge at her twin.

He glanced at her, then looked back at the scroll. "No," he said flatly.

Sesshomaru decided that now was the time to intervene. He grabbed Meitsuki before she launched the attack. "Kuraimaru, stop instigating your sister."

Shuarra looked at Sesshomaru curiously. "What's 'instigating'?"

Kuraimaru had heard the word enough times to discover its meaning. Apparently, he did it often, too, considering that the word was always directed at him. "It means that I'm making you angry on purpose," he answered.

Sesshomaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. How typical of Kuraimaru. He supposed he deserved this, though. It wasn't like he had been any better at his age—back when he was female, anyway. "Kuraimaru, stop. At least while I am watching you."

Kuraimaru laughed. "So, I can when Jaken is watching us?"

"Of course."

Shuarra looked from Sesshomaru to her twin quizzically. "Huh?" She decided suddenly that she no longer cared. She pounced on her brother, giggling and tickling him. He tried to get her away, but she kept coming back. He transformed and she backed off, jumping back to Sesshomaru for protection. "Kurai-kun is scary!"

"Sesshomaru-sama!" he heard Rin call. "I want your opinion on something!"

He sighed. It was probably about this move of theirs. He wanted nothing to do with it, damn it! Nevertheless, he rose and followed her voice, leaving the children. Shuarra went to follow him, but he shut the door on her. She pouted.

Jaken was sent in to make sure they didn't hurt each other. Not that it ever did much. Kuraimaru was fairly easy to watch, when he wasn't in one of his "moods." Usually, anyway.

There had been one time, when the twins were the equivalent of three, that Kuraimaru had decided to tempt fate. Jaken had been the unlucky one to be watching him. Kuraimaru had eluded him throughout the palace for some time. When Jaken finally found him, he was pulling off his shoes. He couldn't understand why, but when it became clear what he was doing, Jaken began to panic.

"No! Prince Kuraimaru, you mustn't—"  
"Be quiet." The boy pulled himself onto the first shelf of the bookcase. The chest at the top of the bookcase was his destination. He struggled up another shelf. Jaken was dancing from one foot to the other nervously, babbling on about how Sesshoumaru was going to skin him alive.

Kuraimaru took care in scaling the last few shelves, then disappeared over the top. He had seen the chest before, and often wondered what was inside of it. It was covered in a thin layer of gray dust. Kuraimaru tested the lock on it curiously. It was so old that it could easily be broken. Even a toddler could break it, and he did. He opened it, coughing as the dust was disturbed. He peered inside. The box was lined in ancient silk and padded. The single item inside was wrapped in a layer of silk so old it was beginning to rot. The boy carefully lifted the item out and then leaped down to the floor, landing with grace in a bent position. He straightened and gingerly unwrapped the item. He let the silk fall to the floor. It was a portrait. He turned it to see what was inside. He giggled.

He could tell it was Sesshoumaru quite plainly. Except that… In the background, there was a brilliant sunset out the window. Sesshoumaru was kneeling in front of it the window, head turned to look at the painter. In _her_ lap was a small bouquet of flowers. Her hair was pulled up in ribbons, and she was wearing a distinctly feminine kimono, at about the human age of 13.

"Aw, Sesshy-kun looks so cute," Kuraimaru laughed. Jaken peered around him. His jaw dropped and he fell over from the shock of seeing his lord in such feminine garb.

Kuraimaru left his shoes and took the portrait with him. The twins always instinctively knew where the other was, if it was only a general direction. Thus, he found her relatively easily. Rin was sitting down with Shuarra Meitsuki in front of her, braiding her curly black hair.

"Look at this!" He held the portrait towards them. Rin's eyes widened. She covered her mouth with a hand. "I found it hidden on a bookcase."

"Oh, Sesshoumaru-sama looks so cute! 'She' looked so adorable when she was little!"

Shuarra Meitsuki could only stare at the picture for a moment. "That's… Oh."

"I'm gonna give it to Father!"

Rin's eyes somehow managed to widen further. "You're not… But Naraku… You shouldn't do that. Sesshoumaru-sama probably had it hidden on purpose."

Kuraimaru frowned. "But Father would like it."

"That doesn't mean that you should—"

The boy was already out the door, before Rin could take it from him. He raced down the hallway, following Naraku's distinct scent. He skidded to a halt in front of him. "Take this!"

Rin had ran after him, trying to stop him from reaching Naraku. She groaned upon seeing that it was too late. He had the painting in his hands. Slowly, a smile broke out over his face. "Where did you find this?" he asked his son.

Kuraimaru smiled. "It was in an old chest on top of a bookcase."  
Sesshoumaru had tried to take it away and hide it since then. He still didn't want to destroy it, even if it was a past he didn't care to remember. However, Naraku had managed to convince him to leave it out somehow. He revised the fading spell on it that kept the paining from fading or decaying and wanted to hang it up somewhere. There was only one room, and one wall that Sesshoumaru agreed to. It happened to be their bedroom, and the painting was somewhat hidden to most who entered, because of the way the room was shaped, but it was still hanging there, and Naraku cherished it quite a bit.

Hopefully, nothing like that would happen today. Better Shuarra Meitsuki running around like a wild dog that Kuraimaru.

Sesshoumaru came in to the room Rin had spread out the maps and information on.

"Okay, I've decided 'no' on Germany." She looked at her lord. "But would you just give us your input?" She didn't wait for an answer, as she knew she wouldn't get one. "They're all very beautiful countries. England and France have colder climates, though." Rin considered. "So what do you think of Italy?" She handed him a scroll containing various facts about the country. How had they managed to get a hold of all this?

Sesshoumaru scanned over it, then handed it back to her. "I care not."

Rin sighed deeply. "It'll be fun to leave! I wanna go see Europe!"

"I told you to decide this on your own."

"But Naraku-san and I can't come to a conclusion. We want your help."

Naraku nodded. "Indeed. Sesshoumaru, what if we base this on climate—"  
"I don't care. Just pick one."

Rin realized something. "Naraku-san, Sesshoumaru-sama. We do not age. Humans will notice." It was so interesting how Rin rarely considered herself human. She was different from other humans though—very different. "We will have to move continuously or else they will catch on." She grinned. "So why don't we just choose a country to live in first?"

Naraku blinked. "Of course. Italy, then?"

Rin nodded. "Yeah. And then we can learn French and English, German, Spanish…"

"Are you sure you can remember all of those, Rin?"

Since Rin had become immortal, she had remembered a lot of things that most humans would forget over such a long period of time. All of her skills seemed sharpened, and she learned things almost too quickly sometimes, and too slowly at others. It had created a bit of an imbalance within her, though it never bothered her in any way. "Of course. Can the rest of you?"

"Naturally."

They looked at Sesshoumaru for confirmation. Fine, it was time to confess… "I speak eight languages fluently, and three badly."

There was a stunned silence. "What?"

Sesshoumaru sighed. "I do a lot of traveling. My travels took me many places." He offered no more explanation to the answer.

Naraku, however, was a bit annoyed, then an idea occurred to him. "So you could tutor us."

"I never said that."  
"But you could," Rin pressed.

"What languages do you speak?" Naraku wondered.

"Japanese, Chinese, Latin, Arabic, French, English, German, and Russian. The three I speak badly are Spanish, Greek, and Italian."

Another stunned silence.

"This surprises you?"

The silence conveyed their surprise for them. In a moment, they recovered from this shock. Well, no wonder if made no difference to Sesshoumaru.

"Oh, but you don't speak Italian very well!" Rin realized.

"No. I must study it a bit."

She smiled. "Then we can study it together."

Naraku frowned. "Sesshoumaru, when did you ever find the time to learn all of these languages?" Then his frown deepened. "How old are you—right now?"

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "When I met you, I was roughly 700 years old."

"Oh…" Well, that would explain where all this time to wander about the world and such came from. He had known that Sesshoumaru was old, but not that old. Sesshoumaru also looked so young. It was hard to think of him as being so much older than he was. "Well, why don't you start teaching us now?"

And so the reluctant tutor had unwittingly recruited himself to play teacher.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_Misfortune_

Sesshoumaru was giving them one year to at least become functional in the language before they began their move. He was already considering traveling arrangements. It was true that they could just fly there, but he didn't want to abandon the things in the palace, or the palace itself. It created a bit of a dilemma for him.

He almost decided to just let them all leave by themselves. He could stay behind. But then… That feeling—loneliness—would come back. He never wanted to feel that emotion again. It hadn't been a big deal when that was all he had known—but now, it would be unimaginable. He could never go back to that. No, staying behind wasn't an option.

Then what to do with all of this? He supposed that human servants could take it. They could just bring everything but the palace with them. But this was his home. He had grown up here. And, even though many of those memories were painful… it would still hurt to lose this place. At the same time, though, he would finally be breaking bonds from the past. Echoes of memories still lurked in the recesses of his mind. Sometimes, he would be passing down a hallway, and one of those memories would come back to haunt him like a ghost. Not always painful—sometimes it was something as simple as dashing down a hallway after his mother or father. Sometimes, it was something more hurtful—like when he had been the equivalent of about twelve and his father had looked slapped him—her at the time—for "parading about as something she was not."

His father wasn't usually so violent, but they had been quarreling for a long time about it, and it had seemed as though violence was the only thing that would get through—to Inutaisho anyway. It had been true, after all. The only thing Sesshoumaru had ever responded to was violence.

Maybe it would be good for him to lose the palace. Maybe they shouldn't take so much with them. Maybe it was better to begin life anew--to say farewell to the past, and welcome the present and the future. Rin and Naraku may or may not have considered this. But he doubted it would really bother them. They were merely material possessions. So, it didn't matter. Sell everything—take the money with them. A few choice possessions would make the journey with them, but that was all.

The door opened, then slid shut as the figure entered the room. Naraku.

Sesshoumaru sat up, a bit of his hair slipping over his shoulder. "I want to ask you something."

"Then ask." He began untying his obi.

--Changing Prose--

"Does it matter if we sell everything here?" I wondered softly.

"Does it matter to you?" he asked as he folded the obi and set it down.

"Hm." Did it? In some ways, it did, in other ways not. "I suppose not."  
He nodded. "Good." He sat down on the futon, his haori falling open to reveal his hard-muscled chest. My gaze flickered back up to his face. "Your palace isn't going to last forever—a long time, but not forever. The things in it will not either." He pulled off the haori, folded it and set it down again. He was already barefoot. I fought against my growing arousal. Why did the sight of him always do this to me? It was rather annoying, actually. "What matters—to me—is you… the twins…"  
"Rin," I said.

"Her too." A sly smile crept across his face. "You'll never change, will you?" He pulled me gently over to him. I let him, my heart pounding in my chest. He was the only one that had this affect on me. I gripped his shoulders and kissed him. At first, he was fairly compliant, then pulled away. "I'm not feeling quite up to it tonight."

I would have to change his mind, then. Completely undeterred, I ran my tongue over the sensitive spot on his neck. I knew all of the places he liked being touched, and exactly what to do with every part of him. He randomly liked and disliked that. He may have just wanted me to seduce him—or it really could be genuine. It was difficult to say.

I pinched his nipple, sliding one leg over his lap and moved to straddle him. He abruptly put a stop to it and pushed me away. "I'm going somewhere else…"

"Hm?"

"Somewhere that I won't be molested." I frowned. What was wrong with him? I decided to ignore him. I grabbed a hold of him and used my superior strength to pull him down on the futon. My fingers trailed down to his hakama. "Sesshoumaru…"

I once again ignored him. My fingers curled under the fabric and I began to tug them off. He batted my hands away, looking a bit annoyed. I scowled. Persistent, wasn't he? I slid my hand along his chest, enjoying the way the muscles curved and moved as he inhaled and exhaled.

"Stop."

His tone gave me pause. I looked at his face quizzically. Why should I stop? "Why?"

"I told you I'm not interested right now."

I crawled on top of him, resting my chin on his chest. "I am."

"Then take care of it yourself," he muttered and attempted to dislodge me again. He failed, so he sat up just enough to release two tentacles and he managed to pry me off of him. He set me down nearby, then the tentacles sank back into his flesh.

I looked away. He had never done this before. Had I done something—said something? What the bloody hell was his problem?

"Sesshoumaru…"

I glared at him.

"It's not that I'm angry with you. And it's not that I don't find you attractive, or that I don't love you any more."

Well, there had gone all of my reasoning for his behaviour. "Well?"

He sighed and sat up. He moved over to me. "I just start feeling fatigued when I need to undergo…" His voice trailed off a bit. Ah. A hanyou's biggest secret. I had never been able to figure out when that time was, though. Naraku usually just sort of vanished for a while—sometimes for days. And when I thought that it might be one day or the other, the day changed.

"I see." I sighed a bit. Later, then. I lied down, pulling the blanket up over my shoulders. I glanced back at him. He was finishing undressing. And, as tempting as that sight was, I restrained myself. "When is that time?"

"I choose it," he said. "However, if I attempt to go without it, I become extremely tired and eventually, my body will do it on its own."  
He slipped under the blankets. I turned immediately and kissed him. I was getting hot again. I wanted him to fuck me senseless. But when I pulled away and looked at him, I decided to let it slide. "Then do that tomorrow."

"Mm." His eyes were closing. They slid shut. His breathing slowed and evened. I wished I could fall asleep so quickly. I wasn't going to let this slide, either.

--Normal Prose—

When Sesshoumaru woke, Naraku had vanished mysteriously—probably off somewhere in whatever form he took. He had a feeling that he didn't want to know. Considering that Naraku was really just an assortment of youkai, he probably just became a pile of limbs, entrails, and skin. Not something anyone wanted to think about—particularly the smell that would emit. No wonder he was never around during that time period; Sesshoumaru wouldn't be able to stand it.

Rin was in the largest study, studying Italian. She seemed to be having trouble with the language.

"… That's… No. My accent is all wrong." She sighed deeply.

"Rin."

She turned. "Yes, my lord?"

"Do you need help?"

She smiled warmly. "Please."

Sesshoumaru sat down across from her and helped her with pronunciations, which was what she was struggling with right now.

On the other side of the palace, things were not so peaceful. The twins had got it in their heads to play tag on the roof of the palace—Shuarra Meitsuki's idea originally. Jaken was making attempts to stop them, but they were already outside and climbing up the poles supporting the roof outside. Kuraimaru was better at it than his sister, and pulled himself over the edge before she did. Jaken, on the ground, was in a panic—as usual. If the twins should happen to fall…

"Get back down here immediately! Your parents will be furious!" the toad shrieked.

The twins ignored him completely. Kuraimaru helped his sister of the edge. They disappeared from view. Jaken's panic level rose to new heights.

He could hear them running around, laughing, and shouting. Never in his life, had he been so terrified. Sesshoumaru would be furious if one of them got hurt…

He had to do something—fast! He had to get them off of the roof immediately! But how? He couldn't even get up there. Perhaps, if he could simply find a ladder… Then what? Those rambunctious children wouldn't listen to him, and he didn't have the strength to drag them both down to the ground, where it was safe. What to do?

There was a slipping sound, then a bone-crunching like sound. Then Jaken felt extreme pain in his left leg. He fell over instantly, groaning in pain. It felt like it was broken, but it couldn't be.

Shuarra Meitsuki gave a cry. What had happened?

In the study, Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth. Rin gave a cry and inspected her leg, trying to hold back the scream. It felt like the bone in her leg had suddenly shattered.

"What happened…?" she wondered, her eyes watering.

"Kuraimaru!" Sesshoumaru struggled to his feet. His brain was insisting that his leg was broken, and it felt like a horrible idea to get up right now. However, he did anyway and followed Kuraimaru's scent, and the source of the feeling of pain. Slowly, the feeling subsided. Kuraimaru had probably lost consciousness. Outside, in the garden, Kuraimaru lay in a heap, unconscious. His leg was covered in blood, and it was quite obviously broken. Shuarra Meitsuki peered over the edge of the roof. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. They had been playing on the roof? He didn't really blame Jaken. The imp couldn't do much when they had their minds set to doing something, but he should have come to get someone who could.

"Is Kurai-kun okay?" she whispered, sliding down one of the posts carefully. She looked truly frightened for her brother.

Sesshoumaru found himself wishing that Chiyuota was still around. The old youkai had passed away of old age, though. "Shuarra Meitsuki. Go get the healer."

That youkai, the new healer, was Chiyuota's niece and apprentice, though she had never completed her training, as Chiyuota had died before she could. Soon, Shuarra Meitsuki and Iria rushed out of the palace. The young healer kneeled beside Kuraimaru. She had felt the pain he had sent out as well, so had a good idea of what to expect. Before this, she had always jokingly said that he was her easiest patient to treat, because she never had to ask what was wrong. The projecting his physical pain on to others—that was something he did consciously. He had been calling out for help before he had lost consciousness.

Iria had a small kit with her. She cut off one leg of his hakama, a bit apologetically, but there was no way around it. Taking it off could damage his leg. She slit it open and carefully peeled it apart. Shuarra Meitsuki made sure to be far away for this part. Some of the bone was protruding from his leg. Iria flinched. She took a cloth and a bottle. She wet the cloth and, gently as she could, she wiped away the blood to better see the wound.

"I can do one of two things right now," she said softly, looking up at Sesshoumaru. "I can cut away the protruding bone and let it him regenerate it—which would be less painful, but he wouldn't be able to walk for quite some time. Or… I can set it and it would be healed in about two weeks' time."

"If you set it… How much would that hurt him?"

"He would probably wake up," she admitted. "It's not a clean break, so I'll have to scrape away some of it anyway. And it will be extremely painful for him."

Kuraimaru was slowly recovering. He stirred and his eyes opened. They were glazed with pain. Sesshoumaru kneeled beside him, taking his son's hand gently. "Kurai-chan…" He explained the two options. Healing a youkai was different from healing a human. Humans didn't heal as well, and couldn't tolerate hacking apart limbs as well either.

Kuraimaru shivered and swallowed. "Could I… see the saw?"

Iria obligingly held up a small saw she would use to cut the bone.

The boy cringed, then gasped in pain. "Set it."

"Kurai-kun…"  
"Do it."

She nodded and went to work. Kuraimaru's grip on Sesshoumaru's hand tightened. He shook furiously, eyes watering, fighting to keep from crying out in pain. Finally, as he heard the sound of his own bone grinding, he screamed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

_Love You_

Kuraimaru was kept confined to bed. He put up no fuss. Shuarra Meitsuki didn't even complain when she was told to leave him alone for a few days. Jaken had apologized for well over an hour. Sesshoumaru had been curious to see when he would shut up on his own, but after the first hour passed, he kicked him outside.

Rin helped Iria in any way she could to take care of Kuraimaru. Mostly, it consisted of making poultices, medicinal tea, and other medicines for the pain and swelling. Kuraimaru spent most of the time in a dreamless sleep.

Naraku arrived in the evening. Rin was the first one to see him and quickly told him about the day's events. He immediately rushed off to see Kuraimaru.

Rin thought, _Sesshoumaru-sama and Naraku have changed a lot since the twins were born_. It was true, too. Selfishness had to be pushed aside. The twins came first, and everything else was secondary. Against all odds, they really were good parents. Not only were they less selfish, they were less foolhardy, less prone to taking risks. All in all, parenthood had forced them to settle down in a lot of ways.

Shuarra Meitsuki tugged on her kimono. "Shuarra is sleepy," she said with a yawn.

"It's been a long day, huh?"

"Yeah."

Rin took her adopted little sister to her room and tucked her in for the night.

Kuraimaru didn't like being confined to bed. After the first three days, he was trying to walk—which was a bad idea. Iria scolded him about it as well, not that it made much of a difference. Once he couldn't hear or smell her any more, he just climbed back out of bed. Each step sent searing agony up his leg, but he gritted his teeth and leaned against the wall, limping feebly, his hand held against the wall for support. At least he wasn't totally immobile any more. As misfortune would have it, though, Naraku happened to walk in when he was at the other side of the room. All of his efforts were wasted and he was carried back to bed with a scolding and forced to down a sedative that made him go to sleep.

"You're so much like your mother," Naraku murmured. It was more than just the way he looked—his personality too. His arrogance, his pride, the way he carried himself, his stubbornness. He had his own unique quirks, but he really was so much like her—him now.

"Except that I'm not female," Sesshoumaru said. He was framing the doorway.

Naraku sighed. "No."

Sesshoumaru walked up to him. "Am I really more attractive when I'm female? How could you like such a disgusting body?"

The hanyou rolled his eyes. "It was hardly disgusting."  
Sesshoumaru frowned. He just didn't understand. He didn't like women—anything about women. Didn't like the curve of their bodies, their breasts, their movements. And, besides, what the hell was he supposed to do with a female, anyway? He found it utterly repulsive. "Women are repulsive."

Naraku laughed. "You never seemed to mind fucking me in that body."

True. But the entire time, he had wondered about what it would be like if he were male. "Speaking of which…"

Naraku smiled. "You'll never let me get a full night's sleep, will you?"

Sesshoumaru smiled coyly. "No." He turned. "I'm going to _bed_. You will come join me, won't you?"

Naraku looked back at the sleeping Kuraimaru. "Yes."

Sesshoumaru left without any further words. That man's sex drive was insane. Considering how often he "required" sex, Naraku was surprised that he didn't have trouble "getting up" after a while. Somehow, the sight of Sesshoumaru naked and especially aroused never failed to excite him, though—ever since that moment when he had glimpsed _her_ naked in the woods.

When had he fallen in love with her? Was it in the woods? Before that? After that? When they had sex the first time? He had known he loved her then. But had he loved her before then? Possibly. It was impossible for him to pinpoint the exact moment he did. He knew when he had realized it, though—the first time he heard her cry out in pleasure, digging her claws into his shoulders, eyes rolled to the back of her head and shaking in ecstasy… because of him.

Oops. Naraku turned around. He was growing aroused thinking about it. _Think about something else_…

Why couldn't Sesshoumaru ever just say "I love you"? Just once? He only wanted to hear it once. He knew that Sesshoumaru had to love him. Why else would he tolerate him? Well, there was the added protection and the sex. But it had to be more than that. He knew it was. If not from anything he said, from his actions. The way that he acted when he came home after being gone for a long period of time, or when Naraku had been gone. The way he liked to be held when he slept.

Naraku knew that Sesshoumaru had obviously never been shown much affection as a child—which was exactly why he was demanding so much of it now, and probably why he had trouble with his own emotions.

After all, it was unbecoming of youkai to feel emotions like "love." No, not really unbecoming—just a bit unnatural, thus thought of as being unbecoming. Love was primarily reserved for humans and hanyou. When a youkai felt love, it was rare and somewhat unnatural. So, it was only to be expected that Sesshoumaru couldn't express it well.

He would still like to hear him say it though.

Well, that had taken care of his "problem" anyway. He stepped out into the hallway, sliding the door shut behind him silently. He walked down the hallway, taking his time because he knew it would annoy Sesshoumaru. When he finally got to their quarters, Sesshoumaru was standing at the door leading into the private garden, naked.

Sesshoumaru, male or female, was really a feast for the eyes, quite literally: thin, perfectly toned muscles, beautiful hair that framed his body nicely, and perfectly proportioned. And, despite the fact that he looked very breakable and delicate, he was very strong.

"Sesshoumaru."  
"Hm?" The youkai was walking over to him, leaving the screen open. Moonlight streamed in.

"I love you."

"Mm-hm." Sesshoumaru stopped in front of Naraku. He began peeling off his lover's kimono.

"Why don't you ever tell me you love me?"

The youkai paused, then resumed. "That's unnecessary. You know how I feel."  
"I would still like to hear you say it."  
"You are thinking to deeply about this."

"Perhaps," he admitted. Sesshoumaru finally peeled off Naraku's kimono—no help from him, by the way. He wrapped his arms around him and forced him into a kiss. Naraku grasped him tightly. He moved his head, running his tongue over his neck, nibbling the other's pointed ear. "Tell me you love me."

Sesshoumaru said nothing, but moaned softly when one of Naraku's thumbs moved to one of his nipples.

He liked to hear him beg. It took a lot of work, but he knew how to do it. And he liked to hear it.

"What do you want?" Naraku whispered, gliding his other hand along Sesshoumaru's back.

"Fuck me," Sesshoumaru answered, his hands roaming over the hanyou's body.

"What… do you… want?" He suckled one of Sesshoumaru's nipples—something the inu really loved. "Tell me." He resumed, one of his hands gingerly encircling the youkai's growing erection.

"Just fuck me…"

"Not until you tell me." Gently, at first, he began stroking him.

Sesshoumaru was confused. His body was demanding sex. His brain reasoned that he would only get this once he gave the "correct" answer. The connection made, he raced to figure out what it was his lover was demanding of him. What did _he_ want? He wanted sex, damn it! But Naraku knew that. It could be that he either wanted to hear him beg, or there was an alternate meaning. Or both. "You. I want you to fuck me."  
Naraku nodded. "And what else?" Getting there… Once the youkai was aroused, he would surrender his pride temporarily and beg for it. And he liked it too. Naraku knew he did. He knew why too. Sesshoumaru was always in control. Always domineering. Here, though, he could fall back into something different.

Sesshoumaru moaned softly. "And… Gods, Naraku…"

"Go on." He moved to the other nipple.

What else? What else could he possibly mean? "Naraku…"

"Yes…"

"I want you," he gasped. "I want you. I…"

"I love you," Naraku reminded him. His pace suddenly increased with his hand. The unexpected movement caused Sesshoumaru to moan. "Now tell me… What you want."

"Fuck me... Oh…"

Naraku was careful not to work him to orgasm. "Tell me…"

"Damn it, fuck me." That was his cue. Naraku suddenly pulled completely away from him. Sesshoumaru was angry. "Naraku…"

He turned away from Sesshoumaru. "Do you really want me to fuck you?"

The youkai moved in front of him and dropped to his knees. He ran his tongue over Naraku's erection, teasing the head. He pulled him into his mouth, making it as wet as possible. It always made entry easier, after all. He opened his eyes, looking up at Naraku pleadingly, even as he continued the movements with his tongue and mouth.

"Tell me," Naraku panted.

Sesshoumaru rose, pulling Naraku towards the futon. He pulled Naraku down with him. "Fuck me." His tone was pleading now.

"Tell me…"

Sesshoumaru moved to his hands and knees, arching his back. "Naraku…"

Naraku stood up, moving behind him. "Tell me…"  
"Fuck me!" he pleaded. "Gods, Naraku, fuck me!" _Stop teasing me, you bastard._

He inserted one finger. "How hard?"

"Hard… Unh…"

He pushed in as far as his finger would go, moving it gently at first. "And fast?"

"Yes…"

"What do you want? Do you want to scream?"

"Yes…"

He pushed in another finger. "You want me to make you scream?"  
"Yes!"

It was one thing to manipulate people, turn them against each other. That was fairly easy. The most it truly required were proper circumstances. Manipulating Sesshoumaru erotically, however… That required a bit more tact. If he pulled away now, the inu would probably get angry and punch him. He wondered if there was a way he could do this to finally make Sesshoumaru say something that he had wanted to hear for years. It was a possibility, but it would require a lot of persuasion, sexual stimulation, and a lot of patience.

One more finger. The youkai shuddered. To think… Damn, this beautiful creature could have had anyone of his (or her, depending on the time period) choice. And yet… Well, that boosted Naraku's ego anyway. Sesshoumaru was a trophy boyfriend in a lot of ways. Not that he was always worth the mental anguish he gave others. "Sesshoumaru…"

The only answer he gave was a moan amidst his panting.

"Do you love me?"

"Oh… Yes…"

That was good enough for right now.

"Naraku, fuck me!"

He almost laughed at the youkai's greedy lust. He could almost get off on just Sesshoumaru's facial expressions. While totally bland outside of these instances, he portrayed exactly how it felt now. Naraku loved it. His expressions were divine. "Your expressions are divine, Karei-chan."

When Sesshoumaru had been born, he had been born female. His parents named him "Kareishikyo." It fit her perfectly—beautiful death. Naraku had really liked Sesshoumaru female, but had also knew that she hated her body, so this was good enough. And he loved her real name. He had pestered Chiyuota about his real name for three years before she finally told him what it was. Sesshoumaru had been less than happy, but luckily did not react violently.

"Don't call me that…" Sesshoumaru panted.

Naraku sighed and pulled out his fingers. He positioned himself and plunged into him. He shuddered. "I love your real name," he whispered. "Almost as much as I love you."

Sesshoumaru looked back at him, his eyes softening a little. Naraku paused, frowning. "You wish I were still a woman?"

He nodded. "Mm."

Sesshoumaru looked down. "I see." He pushed back against Naraku. The spider hanyou gasped. He would have to bring up that conversation later. However, at the moment, there was a very beautiful and very sex-obsessed dog he needed to exhaust.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Sesshoumaru woke when he heard little feet running down the hallway. They stopped at the door. It pushed open a little. He pulled up the sheets over his shoulder. Shuarra Meitsuki peered inside.

"You 'wake?" she wondered.

"Hm." Sesshoumaru turned his head, looking. Naraku was feigning still being asleep in the hopes that she might leave. Similar to Sesshoumaru, she was an early riser. Kuraimaru, however, would sleep all through the morning, given the chance.

She smiled and stepped inside. "Oneechan is still asleep, and Kurai-kun can't get up yet. So…"

"Go away," Naraku muttered.

She giggled. "Sesshy-kun! Get up and play with me!"

Sesshoumaru just wanted to sleep. They had stayed up for most of the night, after all. Just one more hour… "Shuarra Meitsuki… Is the sun even up yet?"

She rushed to the other screen, which had been left open. She pointed outside. Sesshoumaru's gaze shifted to the screen. The first rays of the sun were spilling into the garden. The youkai lord suppressed a moan and burrowed back into the sheets, pushing his face against Naraku's chest in a futile effort to block out the rest of the world. "Take care of your daughter," he said.

"Unh…" Naraku didn't even seem to have heard him. He was probably only pretending.

Shuarra Meitsuki pouted. "Get up!" she whined. Neither made a move to get up. She began dancing around in a circle, singing loudly and off-key. "Sesshy-kun, u-up! Sesshy-kun u-up! U-up! Nara-chan, u-up! Nara-chan, u-up! U-up!"

"Silence…" Naraku groaned.

She continued with her song, bounding around the room. She began to clap in time with her song, occasionally getting off-beat.

"Shuarra Meitsuki," Sesshoumaru said.

She froze in place on one foot.

"Desist from singing. Now."

"What's that mean?" she wondered.

"Stop," Naraku hissed.

She was undeterred. "But you need 'up' to play with Shuarra!"

"Let us sleep."

She pouted. "But Shuarra is bored."  
"Go be bored somewhere else…"

"But Shuarra is _bored_!"

"Go away…"

"Shuarra Meitsuki, why don't you go back to sleep for a while?" Sesshoumaru wondered vaguely.

She looked down forlornly. "Okay…" She turned around and drug her feet on her way out. She shut the door.

The two waited a few minutes, then Naraku said, "She'll be back in five minutes."

Sesshoumaru sighed deeply and rose. He took a light sleeping kimono (Author of fanfic is not sure of correct terminology) and pulled it on. He tied it closed and tossed a second to Naraku. "Precisely." Naraku sat up enough to pull it on, tie it, and then more or less fell onto his back. Sesshoumaru slipped back into bed, curling up to him. Naraku turned and pulled him close, kissing the crescent moon marking softly.

Sure enough, Shuarra came creeping down the hallway again. She poked her head inside. "Has it been a while yet?"

"No…" Naraku moaned.

She ignored him. "Shuarra can't sleep."

Sesshoumaru sat up and reached out one arm. The gesture was understood immediately. Shuarra literally jumped onto the futon, landing on Naraku. He grimaced. She giggled and rolled in between them. She squirmed a little bit, then got comfortable. Sesshoumaru laid back down. She squirmed a bit more, then fell silent and went to sleep. Finally…

Kuraimaru woke up some time in the late morning. Not even Iria wanted to wake up him up in the morning to give him his medication. Instead, she had left it out.

Kuraimaru was prone to being in a violent rage if anyone woke him up. Sesshoumaru was probably the only one who didn't evoke absolute wrath. For the time being, it was kind of funny, but if he kept up this habit it might prove hazardous. However, he showed no signs of giving it up.

He sat up. It was a bit of a strain, but he could tell that his leg was healing. The water was lukewarm. Iria hadn't been able to guess when he would wake up, apparently. Nevermind that though, he needed drink the medicine she had left, and lukewarm water was better than nothing to wash it down with. He might have tried to go without the medication, except that his leg was throbbing. He downed the cup of medicine and made a face, then drank the water. The god-awful taste was still in his mouth, though. He had to get up—now. He climbed to his feet. The medicine had not yet taken affect, and the steps he took were painful.

He pushed himself on, forcing his way to the kitchen. Iria… She had to have known that she didn't leave him enough water. There would be a servant there that would go fetch him some, though. Each step he took increased his anger. That Iria… She would pay for this. Doing something like this to him…

He finally made it into the kitchen. Iria was sitting at the table, chatting Rin. He glared at both of them.

Iria smiled. "I'm glad you made it," she said. She offered him a cup of cold water. He took it and swallowed it immediately. She poured some more into the cup from a pitcher. "I wanted to see how your leg was healing. You can walk a bit better, so I can lower your medications now."

"Oh…" So it had been intentional, but not in the way he had thought. She had just been testing him.

"We have to check your leg now—to see if the walk here did any damage," Rin said. "So could you sit down?" She indicated a floor pillow next to them. He sat down. Rin rolled up his kimono enough to see the leg. Iria prodded at it gently. Rin couldn't help but flinch. She could literally see the part where the bone had not yet grown back. How anyone could walk on that was beyond her, but youkai were strange about those sorts of things.

"Good. There's been no added damage." Iria smiled warmly. "That means that it's healing well, and you'll be just fine in a few more days."

"I hope so," Kuraimaru muttered darkly.

"We hope so too," Rin said.

Her persistently cheerful attitude annoyed him. It was too early for that. "Yeah… Where's Father and Sessh?"

"Still asleep," Rin said. _As always._ She preferred not to think about why, but the answer was fairly obvious. They weren't very discreet—hence why everyone else fled to the other side of the palace at night. Paper doors weren't always the best idea.

"But they're always up before me," he said with a frown.

Iria shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. "It was the pain in your leg that made you wake up earlier."

"Hm." His body seemed to realize this suddenly. He yawned. Going back to sleep sounded like a good idea. He forced his way to his feet and limped, trying to make it look as if he weren't limping, out the door. He went to his parent's room, listening for a moment. He could hear breathing, and smell Shuarra inside as well. He opened the door, walked through, and slid it shut. Sesshoumaru woke up. The other two were fast asleep. Sesshoumaru moved over a bit. Kuraimaru crawled into bed with them.

Sesshoumaru thought sarcastically to himself, _Great. Now where is Rin going to fit?_

Shuarra Meitsuki was the first one to wake up, but upon seeing her two sleeping parents and her brother, she didn't feel as though it would be right to wake them intentionally. They looked really peaceful.

Taking her time, she pulled away from her father and slowly sat up. The movement woke Sesshoumaru—who was obviously the lightest sleeper.

He put a finger to his lips. She nodded her understanding and crawled out of the bed, which woke Naraku. He glanced at her, and stretched. They should really get up. They had been asleep for a long time. Shuarra Meitsuki was already out the door. The loss of her body heat made Kuraimaru shiver. He pulled closer to Sesshoumaru. He yawned and opened his eyes.

"How's your leg?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Kuraimaru yawned again. He stretched, then curled back up in a very dog-like manner. "I can walk, but it still hurts. Iria-chan says it will be fine in a few days."

"Mm." That was good. Sesshoumaru, being a parent, couldn't help but blame himself for this. Seeing his child in so much pain was hurtful. It was unbearable--especially to know that he could have done something to prevent it. He shouldn't have left them with that stupid imp. Maybe then, this would not have happened. Well, of course it would not have happened. Anyone but Jaken could have diverted the twins from going up on the roof. Oh, but there was no use blaming the toad. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't deter the two of them. To do so took skill, charm, and strength that he could never possess.

So, really, Sesshoumaru could only blame himself for leaving them. His fault that Kuraimaru had gone through so much trauma. His fault…

"Sessh-kun?" Kuraimaru wondered. He looked at his son. "You don't look well."  
"Oh?"

Naraku sat up and looked at him. He realized what it was immediately. Guilt. "Sesshoumaru blames himself for what happened to you," he explained.

The boy looked from Naraku to Sesshoumaru. "But it's not your fault. I was the one who climbed on the roof." He pulled up Sesshoumaru, wrapping his little arms around him. "Don't feel sad. I'm all right."

It felt like some great burden had been lifted off his shoulders. "Arigatou," he whispered.

The door opened. Shuarra Meitsuki came in, followed by Rin and two servants, balancing trays of food. "Breakfast is served!" Rin chimed.

Shuarra Meitsuki leaped back into the bed, once again tackling Naraku in a storm of giggles. She resituated herself on his lap. Naraku sort of sighed, wondering why she never did this to Sesshoumaru. Why did she tackle him every time she saw him, climb him like a tree, and other such nonsense, but she never did this to Sesshoumaru? In fact, both of the children treated Sesshoumaru very respectfully. It really didn't seem fair. At the same time, though, he was often the more likeable parent, as he was less likely to fulfill a punishment.

Rin laughed at Shuarra Meitsuki's behaviour, setting down a tray beside Sesshoumaru, who was sitting up and pulling Kuraimaru onto his lap. Kuraimaru stretched his back and yawned, trying to wake up enough to eat.

She pointed to a particular teacup. "This is for Kurai-kun. It'll be better for him."  
He rolled his eyes a bit. "I'm tired of the special treatment," he complained, but took the teacup anyway. He took a sip. Well, it didn't taste horrible at any rate.

Shuarra Meitsuki was causing her usual ruckus as she attempted to play with the rice rather than eat it by making geometric patterns on the tray. Kuraimaru and Sesshoumaru ate in a dignified, slow manner. Naraku just tried to eat while simultaneously keeping his daughter under control.

Rin smiled. As weird and random as this family could be, she was glad to be here.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

_Problems Arising_

Sesshoumaru was being obstinate. He really didn't want to leave Japan. It was understandable, but no less infuriating for Naraku and Rin, who were trying to convince him of the reasons they needed to leave.

"It's a danger if we stay. The beliefs that all evil must be eradicated, coupled with the knowledge that youkai exist in the physical realm has already proven to be deadly," Rin said.

"I am not so weak as to die from something as weak as humans."

"Your father died because of ningen," Naraku said quietly.

It was a sore spot. Sesshoumaru fell silent.

"And he was a strong youkai, right?" Rin added. "And, Sesshoumaru-sama, you are really strong, too. But even if you and Naraku won't die from humans—I will, and the twins. And Jaken." The last one was an afterthought.

"We are leaving more for the twins than ourselves. And we will return one day."  
"What makes you think we'll be any safer in the heart of this cult called Christianity?" Sesshoumaru snapped.

"Because they believe that youkai are merely specters," Naraku pointed out. "They do not believe that they exist physically—only spiritually." Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes. "Besides, humans are interesting. They see only what they wish to see."

"So we leave to Italy. How long will we stay there?" The youkai lord raised an eyebrow for emphasis. "How long do you suppose it would take for the stupid humans to discover that we do not age as they do? They would call us 'witches' and try to kill us."

"Which is why we would leave. We would move every few years or so," Naraku answered. "You have no problems traveling. It shouldn't be too difficult for you."

Sesshoumaru looked away. They had some very valid points. Staying here could be deadly for Rin and the twins—especially Rin. She would be considered a cohort, bewitched by youkai. Some might try to console her, others might try to counsel her, but others would try to kill her.

So, instead of trying to fight a losing battle, Sesshoumaru honored the oldest of all youkai traditions and instincts and gave up, not having the will to press, as these two did. "So be it."

Naraku and Rin were obviously relieved to be done with the arguments.

In the evening, however, Naraku brought something to Sesshoumaru's attention.

"In Europe, 'homosexuality' is a sin. Meitsuki and Kuraimaru are obviously twins, and look like both of us. We could solve two problems at once if you were female," he said bluntly.

Sesshoumaru was suddenly no longer interested in sex. "Why can't you be female?" the dog demanded. "We wouldn't need the Jewel; you could merely recreate yourself as a woman."  
"You wouldn't even touch me if I were a woman," Naraku pointed out.

It was true. Sesshoumaru would want nothing at all to do with him if he were female. Still, it hardly seemed fair for him to have to be a woman. "Naraku. I would be miserable if I were a woman again."  
Naraku cupped his lover's cheek affectionately, in an attempt to soften what he was going to say next. "I suppose you could cross-dress, then." Sesshoumaru scowled. "You seemed to have no problems doing it before. I would, but you look more feminine than I do."

Smack.

Naraku touched his cheek where Sesshoumaru had punched him. At least he hadn't knocked out any teeth. "I'm not referring to your body, though it is much thinner than mine. You have very delicate facial features, _koi_. You're beautiful, and I think I would just look ridiculous."

"It's just another of your ploys to make me a woman." It hadn't been the first, or even the fourth either. Anytime opportunity had presented itself, Naraku had said something along these lines. He desperately wanted Sesshoumaru as a woman, even if it wasn't real. "I refuse."

"Sesshoumaru, homosexuals are put to death in Europe. What do you propose we do?"

Sesshoumaru considered. He would hate Naraku as a woman. Naraku would also look idiotic in women's clothing. He had an attractive face, but it was true that he was the more masculine of the two, in a lot of ways. Why did this just not seem fair? "Let's discuss this later." The dog squashed any argument Naraku could make with a fierce, passionate kiss. His kimono slipped off one of his shoulders. Naraku pushed it down, pulling it away. The kiss had left both of them breathless, and they were hurrying to undress each other.

Sesshoumaru sunk his claws into the flesh of Naraku's shoulders, dragging them through his back as he pulled him down on top of him. The scent of his blood filled the air. Naraku gasped—in a heavenly mixture of pain and pleasure. "Sesshoumaru…"

"I want to hear you say my name a lot more tonight," the dog whispered in his lover's ear, his lips brushing against the lobes.

Naraku pulled away. "Sesshoumaru, stop trying to distract me. You know how important this move is—"  
He had just ruined his mood. Sesshoumaru glared at him angrily. He didn't want to discuss this. He didn't want to think about it. Least of all right now. Couldn't Naraku save it for later—like maybe in the morning, when this didn't matter so much? Sesshoumaru silenced him with a kiss. It was more effective than the punch had been in silencing Naraku. He felt the spider youkai growing hard. He had better not spoil it this time.

Naraku pulled away, trying to fight what Sesshoumaru was doing. "Sesshoumaru, this is more important than—"  
Sesshoumaru kissed him again, then pulled away. "No. Nothing is as important as right now." _With you, like this…_ He kissed him again. "Nothing."

Maybe Sesshoumaru was right. They had a long time to consider everything—the time Sesshoumaru had granted until they moved, then there was the move itself. The matter wasn't so urgent, was it?

Yes. It would probably take all of that time to convince the stubborn inu that it was for the good of everyone if he were a woman again. The idea was more than Naraku could ever hope for, though. Sesshoumaru was beautiful as a man. As a woman, though… He had fallen in love with her upon seeing her, upon lying with her. She was just… so lovely, so divine.

He had never thought he even could feel that way. Most of the time, when it came to sex, it was more about "I want you. Let's go fuck." With her, it had been different. He had wanted to cherish every second, memorize every second, because it had been so precious.

The only time he had ever felt love before then was the love he was forced to feel. It wasn't an emotion he had cherished or cared for, hence why he had tried to get rid of it so often. Onigumo's love for Kikyou had consumed him, forcing him to feel that sickly emotion. That feeling had made him want to vomit any time he thought about it, and at the same time, run to the object of his affection, pining over her miserably.

But… when he had fallen in love with Sesshoumaru, the leftover emotion—Onigumo's shadowing love—had been eclipsed by his own.

He had been saddened with Kikyou died, but he wasn't devastated. If anything were to happen to Sesshoumaru, however… The thought was ridiculous, though. Sesshoumaru was so unbelievably strong—another one of the many aspects of the inu he so loved.

"Naraku?" Sesshoumaru wondered.

He blinked. "Hm?"

Sesshoumaru kissed him again, insistently. His slender, soft fingers curled around Naraku's erection. He positioned him. He wasn't ready for it. Sometimes, however, Sesshoumaru either didn't care because he was too impatient, or just wanted to feel the pain. This was probably the former. Naraku licked his fingers and pushed his hand to Sesshoumaru's entrance, trying to lubricate it and then himself as much as Sesshoumaru's impatience would allow. He had better hurry before the youkai lord threw him onto his back and forced himself on him.

He did that sometimes.

A lot, actually. If Naraku _dared_ to withhold anything, the inu would smile in that cocky, smirking way of his. He would easily throw him, jump on him, and molest him until he could rape him. On rare occasion, Sesshoumaru forced Naraku into being uke, when Naraku stubbornly refused to become aroused. As entertaining as that had been, it was something akin to rape.

Sesshoumaru's legs wrapped around his waist. "Naraku…" The dog was getting more and more impatient. Naraku supposed that he had been thinking about too much. He pushed his musings aside. Sesshoumaru always came first. Always.

He pushed against him, gently easing inside, gauging how slow to go based on Sesshoumaru's reactions. He pushed all the way in, waiting for his body to adjust. He wanted to hurt him as little as possible.

Sesshoumaru leaned up and kissed him again. Naraku pulled almost all the way out and pushed back into him. He had to do this slowly, or he might hurt his beautiful lover. And he didn't want to do that. It was almost comical that there had been a time when they had been at odds with each other, striving to end the other's life. And now they were both so dependant on the other. It just goes to show how anything can change—how life itself is always changing.

His body was slowly adjusting. Soon now, he could take the pace he preferred—the one that got the most and best reactions from Sesshoumaru. His fingers roamed gently over Sesshoumaru's chest, playing with his nipples, gently moving inside of him, slowly picked up his pace.

"I love you," he whispered. He wanted to hear him say it so badly. But he could wait. He would say it one day. One day…

"I know." Sesshoumaru's fingers curled into Naraku's black hair. "I'm ready now."

He was.

Sesshoumaru's eyes were so lovely, like the rest of him. He wondered if he looked like his mother or father. Probably his mother. Only a few, rare men (even if Sesshoumaru wasn't originally male) looked so beautifully sculpted. As if Sesshoumaru had been the life's work of a master sculptor, and suddenly came to life.

Naraku hit something inside of him that made Sesshoumaru arch his back, gasping in pleasure. He was determined to make him do that until his entire body was sore and his throat was ragged.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

"_The Talk"_

Naraku woke up moaning, his world gone white. He gasped and sagged, looking around, for the source of this. His foggy mind, at first, couldn't figure anything out. He had never been much of a morning person, but this was an excellent way to wake up.

Sesshoumaru wiped his lips. The damn dog would never leave him alone, would he? He looked toward the paper door leading outside, trying to decipher the time. It had to be exceptionally early.

However, the time of the day didn't matter to the youkai lord. Sesshoumaru pulled himself up and sort of halfway let himself fall onto Naraku's hard-muscled chest. He kissed him. Naraku could taste himself on his lips, not sure if he liked or disliked it.

Sesshoumaru happened to love doing whatever he could to pleasure Naraku. He liked to please. It was fairly easy to figure out why, and it didn't stem from intercourse. It was that he had never received any gratification when he was younger, so was seeking it out now. It was fairly normal. Sesshoumaru took a special delight in ensuring that the spider hanyou was sexually satisfied. As a consequence, he liked sucking him off.

Naraku should probably return the favor, but at the same time, had absolutely no desire to move. Still, he could feel the beautiful dog's erection against him, and it hardly seemed fair. He forced his arm to move. It was sort of an effort at this hour. He felt like he was being weighted down—as if he had blocks of lead attached to his limbs. Regardless, he managed to wake up a bit and curl his fingers around Sesshoumaru.

He pulled away from the kiss, tugging on him a bit, playfully. "Come up here." He ran his tongue along Sesshoumaru's neck suggestively, so his lover got the idea. He took to it immediately and rearranged himself. Naraku pulled him into his mouth, teasing him a bit first and then massaged his erection with his tongue. Sesshoumaru moaned softly, his fingers curling into Naraku's tangled hair. Right as Sesshoumaru was about to reach climax, he stopped, denying him that. He wanted to fuck him now.

No better way to start the day, after all.

He lifted Sesshoumaru off of him, laying him down gently on his back, head on the wrong side of the futon. At this hour, it would be best to be as quiet as was possible, for the sake of others.

When he decided that Sesshoumaru was physically ready for it, he pushed inside of him. He was still a bit groggy though, and he growing drunk with pleasure. If Sesshoumaru decided that his performance wasn't up to par, then the youkai would take over. Apparently, he wasn't, because Sesshoumaru twisted a bit, and sat up, pushing down on Naraku's shaft, rearranging his legs so that he could do everything.

"You're never quite the same in the morning," he said regretfully. He kissed him.

The two were so utterly consumed in each other's personal pleasure that they didn't notice when the door opened, nor did they notice when their daughter stepped inside. Luckily, Sesshoumaru had a sheet around his hips, halfway falling down on his thigh. But it was still pretty obvious what it was they were doing—and the noises and facial expressions weren't helping her fragile mental state.

Neither of them really noticed her. She stared at them as if in a trance—the way a child stares at anything that is beyond their understanding. She wanted to look away. She knew that she should. She knew that she should turn around—right now—and pretend that she never saw any of this.

However, she couldn't. She couldn't so much as look away. It was like someone was holding her in place, and she just couldn't help but to look.

Finally, she caught her runaway voice. "Er…"

They didn't hear her. She wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing, because she knew that she didn't want them to see her, but she just _had_ to look, and she just _couldn't_ move away.

It was Naraku who noticed first, when his eyes snapped open from sheer pleasure. His near-orgasm was halted instantly, the moan frozen. Sesshoumaru paused, frowning. He sniffed the air and froze, eyes widening. None of the room's current occupants moved. Shuarra Meitsuki didn't know what to do. All she could do was stand there, frozen, feeling embarrassed, awkward, and like everything was totally wrong.

Sesshoumaru and Naraku felt similar emotions, but no one really knew what to do. While the obvious thing to do might be for Sesshoumaru to get off of Naraku (who was quickly losing his hard-on), he was afraid to move, as they had kicked off most of the blankets, and all that was left was the sheet. Finally, Sesshoumaru's frozen brain began to thaw and he grabbed the sheet, pulling it up over his shoulders, wrapping it around Naraku. He sat up a little and then moved beside Naraku, his back to his daughter, as he was still a little afraid of turning around and looking at her.

Neither of the parents knew what to do, or especially what to say. They were just afraid of when Shuarra Meitsuki would say something—

"What were you doing?" she asked, innocently.

She was greeted with a sort of dead silence that hung in the air like a hangman. Naraku and Sesshoumaru glanced at each other, each of them hoping that the other would take up the daunting task of explanation. However, Naraku could only manage to say "er."

Sesshoumaru didn't know what to do. He desperately wished that he did, but his upbringing had not prepared him for this, and his mind went completely blank at times like this. Naraku wasn't much better off, but Naraku was also facing her, so it might be more difficult to conjure words. So, Sesshoumaru took up the mantle of responsibility—but Naraku would owe him for this--and this time, not in sexual favors. "Shuarra Meitsuki."  
"Hm?" she wondered quizzically.

"Go get Rin." It was all he could think to do. Rin would at least know how to explain it. She immediately ran off to fetch her adopted sister, closing the door mostly shut behind her. Naraku and Sesshoumaru practically leaped out of the bed, hurrying to dress in whatever was convenient. Naraku pushed open the screen that led to the garden, letting the place air out a bit. Sesshoumaru had incense. He lit them and paraded with it about the room—being particular about the futon. He stuck it in a burner and stared out at the rising sun. He didn't know what to do.

There was a knock at the door. Naraku told Rin to come in, but for Shuarra Meitsuki to stay outside. Both of them obeyed and Rin walked over to them, looking disturbed.

"Shuarra-kun says that she… um…"

Rin had obviously pieced together what had happened. Sesshoumaru made a point of avoiding all eye contact and assured that his hair was making an effective veil to hide the color in his cheeks.

Rin had never, ever wished to know what Shuarra had told her. Of course, she knew that her two adopted parents fucked pretty much every night. She also knew that Sesshoumaru was a man now. Unfortunately, now she knew the one piece of information she never, ever, ever wanted to know. She had done her utmost to never think about it, to never even consider it. In fact, if her thoughts ever strayed in that direction, she immediately thought of something else.

Except that now she knew which one of them was uke and which was seme.

Not something that the daughter needs, nor especially wants, to know. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to look at either of them the same way ever again. Images played in the back of her mind that she refused to dwell on. Maybe Iria could brew something for mental stress.

She desperately wanted to leave. She imagined that Sesshoumaru and Naraku felt much the same way. After all, it was—

_Don't think about it!_ Rin warned herself.

"Could you… explain this to her?" Sesshoumaru asked, very, very quietly. Rin had to strain to hear it.

"You want me to explain it to her?" she asked, just to confirm that she had heard correctly.

Sesshoumaru nodded once. "Yes."

"Okay. I will…" She was in a hurry to leave. The second she did, she was accosted with questions from Shuarra Meitsuki.

"What were they doing? Why did they want to talk to you? What did you talk about?"

Rin didn't know exactly what to say, so she put off the questions until they were both seated in the kitchen. Iria was brewing a special tea for Rin (Rin had explained what had happened in hushed tones). Iria had stopped her when she no longer wished to hear the details and went right to grinding herbs and roots. Iria had asked that she not be there when they have that conversation. So, to keep Shuarra quiet, she gave her a small bowl of rice to keep her mouth full.

Iria handed Rin a cup of tea and immediately excused herself. Rin took a long, steady sip and set the tea down on the table. She took a deep breath. Where to begin? "Sesshy-kun and Nara-kun are together," she began slowly.

Shuarra nodded. She had had this explained to her at least. "Sesshy-kun used to be a girl, right? And she was our mom? But now she's a boy."

Rin nodded. "Right." She took another sip of tea to calm her nerves. Why had she agreed to this? Then again, Sesshoumaru and Naraku would be utterly useless for this. It might as well be her. If not her, the duty would pass either to Iria, one of the servants, or Jaken—which would be a disaster. It would be best if it were her.

"Rin-chan, what were they doing?"

Rin took another sip of the tea, beginning to feel the soothing medicinal affects. "Well… When two adult people care about each other… A lot… Very much…" Oh, how could she explain this? They weren't a stereotypical couple, so she couldn't say "boy and girl." How could she just say this? "And, you know… They cuddle and kiss… and live together… And sleep together…" _Don't think about it._

Shuarra Meitsuki was confused. "But…"

"Not related to each other, normally," Rin added, just to be sure that she was clear. "Well…" Oh, what could she possibly say? She looked upwards, as if beseeching divine help from Kama. She sure as hell needed it. She looked back at her adopted sister. "Sometimes, they get married."

"What's that?"

Oh, that's right. Shuarra Meitsuki wouldn't know. However, this offered a diversion. "It's when two people—normally a boy and a girl—make a formal promise to faithful, honest, and love each other in front of an audience." That was as simple as it got.

"But Sesshy-kun and Father are both boys." She was still confused.

"Well, yes, but they aren't married…" Her voice wandered off a bit. She hauled it back. She still needed it. Rin took another sip of tea, sending a silent prayer up to Buddha for deliverance. She emptied the teacup and poured some more tea in. She was stalling and she knew it. "Do you want some more rice?"

"No. Shuarra wants to know what Father and Sesshy-kun were doing."

_Oh, Kama…_ "Well, when adults love each other—differently than a family love or a friendship love—they do things to express their love… physically. But only adults do that. Not children—ever."

"But, oneechan! You're an adult! Do you do that?"

Rin's eyes widened. "No. I don't."

Shuarra Meitsuki was confused once more. "But… You said that…" Then understanding flooded over her. "Oh, is it because you're not in love with anyone?"

Rin nodded, glad that this was cleared up. "Yes."

"Oh, I understand!" she said, though she probably did not. "So, when Father and Sesshy-kun do that, then they are just in love with each other, and… Um, why do they do that?"

This was growing a bit easier now. The lies were coming much faster and with more grace. "Because it feels good—but only if you're old enough and love each other," she added as an afterthought. She took another sip of tea.

"So… If Rin were to do that and not be in love, it wouldn't feel good?"

Rin sort of flinched, but decided to lie. "Yes."

Shuarra Meitsuki nodded. "All right. I understand!"

Rin seriously doubted that, but at least she had grasped the concept and was no longer horrified and transfixed. "But, Mei-kun, you should knock from now on, ne?"

The girl nodded. "I will, oneechan."

Rin sighed in relief, taking another calming sip of tea.

Author's Note: I called a friend and asked her advice. She said: "Have Rin say: They were playing golf and Naraku got a hole in one." She just wanted me to include that. I said no, obviously, but she wanted credit for the above conversation.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

_Rin's Nonexistent Love Life_

Rin wandered back to bed. She had dealt with entirely too much stress wholly too early in the morning. She closed the door, leaning her back against the panel gently. She took a long, deep breath and let it out just as slowly as she inhaled.

Well, that had been horrifying. Hopefully, the same thing wouldn't happen with Kuraimaru. But he probably wouldn't have reacted like his sister either.

_Don't think about that. If you do, it'll happen._

They could've locked the door though. Not that it would've done much good. All the same, if Shuarra had to break the door down, they'd know and maybe she would have been spared.

Rin would have been spared too. She felt sick.

She fought the images playing about in her head. She was sort of afraid to go back to bed, in the event of having nightmares about it. But she didn't really remember her dreams too often, so it was entirely possible that she wouldn't remember a thing, even if she did dream about—

_Don't think about it._

She took another deep breath and crawled back into bed, pulling the sheets over her head, attempting to shut out the images that kept attacking her brain mercilessly. She had to think about something else.

Something Shuarra Meitsuki said came back to her. _"Is it because you're not in love with anyone?"_

She sighed. "Hai," she whispered. "He's dead."

A long time ago, back when things were more… normal in the world--when the world seemed larger, when there was more to it, back in the feudal era—there had been… someone.

A young samurai, who was hurt out in the woods and dying. She had not been too far from the castle, so she had torn her kimono and wrapped his wound, then ran back to the castle for Chiyuota. She had brought the healer back to him and they had managed to save him. However, he still needed rest. It would be best if he didn't know about the rest of her adopted family, and he had been unconscious while Chiyuota was around, so she said that she had cared for him. It wasn't too far from the truth anyway.

He had been so caked in blood and dirt that she didn't really get a good look at him until she went to clean off his face. They had to take off his armor and haori—which were both ruined, so he was half-naked except for the bandage. She wiped a cool, damp cloth across his forehead, grimacing at how much sweat, blood, and grime she had taken off. She folded the cloth and worked at cleaning his face again. She went to rinse it, then came back to finish the task. She wiped it gently across his closed eyes. The samurai stirred, then his eyes snapped open. He tried to sit up, automatically reaching for his hip for a sword that wasn't there. He flinched and fell back because of the wounds. Rin caught him before he hit his head. She gently eased his head down into her lap.

"Don't do that," she said. She wiped his cheek. "You'll tear open the stitches." He struggled to try to get up again. "Don't. You'll kill yourself."

"You don't… understand," he gasped. His voice was a light tenor. "I… have to…"

"Shh. Don't talk. You're hurt," she admonished. Either he didn't realize the full extent of his wounds, or—more likely—didn't care.

"But I have to tell…" He struggled for breath. She set the filthy cloth down, but at least now she could see his face. He looked too young. He was obviously older than she appeared to be, but he looked several years younger, as if he hadn't quite caught up to his years yet. "They're all going to die if I don't…"

She looked at him sadly, now that she had an idea of what he meant. "It's too late," she said quietly. "Your castle fell two days ago." There was a neighboring human castle, and that was the one he had to be talking about. "The enemy army moved on… if you want me to help you get there."

He looked away. "Nothing matters anymore…"

"You're still alive, though," she said quietly.

"I'm nothing… My life is worthless without…"

Rin shook her head. "That's not true. Life is precious, no matter what you think right now."

He looked up at her, a bit shocked.

She had fallen in love with him as if it were inevitable. As if there was absolutely no chance not to. She couldn't bring him home with her, so she stayed with him out here in the forest, caring for him. It really brought back memories of her childhood with Sesshoumaru—living out in the woods and surviving by herself. When he could walk again, they traveled to his ruined castle and picked through the ashes. She helped him bury whatever bodies could be found.

When they left the place, he confessed to her that he loved her, then he kissed her. She told him that she had to go home, but that he shouldn't come with her. He said that he would stay at the ruined castle, waiting for her to return. She gave him that promise and her heart, and returned home.

Chiyuota had not told anyone of the samurai in the forest, but it seemed like Sesshoumaru and Naraku had an idea anyway. Something she couldn't name hung around them. She couldn't figure out what, though.

She wanted to catch Sesshoumaru alone, but it didn't seem likely. Finally, she just requested to talk to him alone and drug him outside.

"Sesshoumaru-sama… There was a wounded samurai in the woods a while ago… All this time that I have been gone, I have been taking care of him," she confessed. She looked up at him. "I think I'm in love with him."

Sesshoumaru blinked slowly. She couldn't tell what emotions he was feeling, but he seemed troubled. Fear began to edge into her heart. "Rin…" he said quietly. He looked up at the sky. "You abandoned a human's life years ago."

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

He looked at her. "Have you noticed that you have not aged in years?"

"What… do you mean?" she repeated.

He looked away. "It is the same reason that humans and youkai should not be together," he said. "A human will grow old and die, and the youkai will not." It was one of the main reasons, anyway. That being, perhaps not the most obvious, but the most painful.

Rin couldn't seem to make sense of what he had just said. "But… I'm human…"

"You're immortal too."

"But…"

"This boy will grow old and die. You will remain 16 for all eternity. Will you stay beside him, when he is sick with old age and finally dies, knowing that you cannot die with him, nor can you age with him?"

Her lower lip trembled. "Sesshoumaru-sama… There must be…"

"What do you think he will do, when he learns that you live with youkai? That you are immortal yourself, and forsook the human world long ago?"

"He will…"

"He won't love you anymore, Rin. He'll think that you are bewitched. That you are an abomination." He looked at her. "Humans that side with youkai are often viewed as being worse than a youkai."

"You don't…"  
Sesshoumaru didn't stop there either. "He is also a samurai, so he has, no doubt, killed youkai. He has probably seen comrades fall to us, and has been hurt by and because of us."

"No! It won't be like that! He'll understand! I'll just explain that—"

"That I saved your life? That I sheltered a human child? Do you think he'll believe it?" Sesshoumaru demanded. Rin looked down, all of her hopes crushed. Her fingers curled into fists, trying to keep all of her hurt inside. "Do you think that he would accept that you live with youkai? That you prefer us as to humans? More than that, what will he do when you say that you gave up your mortality to be with us?"

Rin fought back the gathering tears in her eyes. "He won't… He… He will…"

"He will not want you, Rin."

She glared at Sesshoumaru. She wanted to slap him. For the first time in her life, she wanted to slap him. "Then what do I do?" she demanded. "I don't want to be alone all of my life!" She turned and fled, choking back her tears. Not yet. She went straight to the castle, and reached it by nightfall. She just didn't believe that someone like that boy-like samurai would be so bias. He couldn't be… No, Sesshoumaru was wrong. He just had to be.

Besides, she had the Sarced Jewel. He could use it, couldn't he? He could stay with her, right?  
She had came back to him, falling into his arms, exhausted mentally and physically. He took her to the castle. The castle itself was destroyed in places, but most of it was still in tact, if plundered thoroughly. He laid her down to rest. When she woke, he was watching over her, like she had watched over him. She took his hand desperately. "What do you think of youkai?" she asked quietly.

He assumed that she was still mostly asleep. He took her hand gently. "Are you having nightmares, Rin-chan? It's all right."

She shook her head. "No. But, what do you think of them? Are they evil?"

He seemed puzzled by her question. "Of course."

She pushed aside his answer. "But if there was a youkai that wasn't evil—that was my friend—would you hate them?"

He frowned. "Rin-chan… You mustn't befriend a youkai. No human is safe with a youkai. They're very dangerous."

Rin sat up, shaking her head. "No. I'm always safe with…"

He dropped his hand around hers. Her eyes widened in fear. "Rin… You haven't… You can't be… in cahoots with youkai?"  
"It's not like that. Sesshoumaru-sama is like a parent to me. He saved me… He…"

"You mustn't trust him, Rin! Don't ever trust a youkai, no matter how human they seem. They're evil."

She shook her head. "Sesshoumaru-sama is sometimes cruel, and difficult to understand… But he's not evil." No matter how she looked at it, she could never label Sesshoumaru, Kuraimaru, or especially Shuarra Meitsuki as being evil. Sometimes, she could think of Naraku as being evil, considering her childhood memories of being abducted by him. "Neither are his children. They're all very kind to me… You have to understand—"

"Rin, you've been bewitched by this youkai!" He gripped her shoulders. "You have to listen to me! You can't go back with them."

It was true. Sesshoumaru had been right. Her eyes watered anew. "You… No…"

"Rin-chan! This youkai. Who is he? Where is he?"  
She realized what he meant to do. "No! You mustn't!" Her lower lip trembled. She couldn't believe that this was really happening.

It ended up that she had confessed that she was immortal, that there was a way that he could join her. He had left her, then. She had promised to even abandon her family, if it meant that she could be with him. Even then, he had left her.

Immortality only seemed to bring misfortune. Rin sighed. Ever since then, she had avoided humans. She wanted nothing to do with them any longer. She just wanted to be with her somewhat psychotic family.

It was then, though, that she realized what she had lost to gain immortality, and to gain her family. She had lost any hope of leading a human life. She had lost any hope of being accepted and loved by others.

It hurt—more than it felt like it should. This had been what she wanted, had it not? Then why did it hurt so much? If she had not gained immortality, she never would have met the samurai in the woods. She dared not remember his name. His name, she had locked away in an effort to forget him altogether. She almost had, except for Shuarra Meitsuki's comment.

She closed her eyes. Ah, well. Life hurts a lot. Dying, compared to living, is relatively easy. So immortality should be extremely difficult. Youkai were cut out for immortality.

She realized that now. They had fewer emotions, fewer attachments. Humans were not meant to live forever because they did.

If she had realized all of this, would she have used the Jewel?

There as a gentle rap on the door. She pushed the sheet down. "Yes?"

The door opened. Kuraimaru was standing at the door. "Can I hide in here, onee-chan?"

He looked so tired. His sister must have woken him up. "Come here." He shut the door, locked it, and half-fell onto the futon. He was asleep by the time he came to rest. Not a bad idea. Rin yawned, rolled over with her back toward him, and fell asleep herself.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorries this took so long to update this time! My finals are due this week, after all! Oi.

**Chapter Ten**

_Jealous_

All the arrangements had been made. The castle had been sold off (Sesshoumaru had actually found a youkai that wanted it and had the money for it, so it was better than a human). The furniture had been another story, and most everything had been sold off one way or another. Everything else was loaded onto the ship, which was crewed by an array of sea youkai, their captain being a rather fiery, half-insane but very charming koi, of the Utsuri Koi clan, and her hair was coloured appropriately. Most of the other youkai crew were koi, for that matter.

Sesshoumaru was getting the idea that Captain Nanako was usually at least half-drunk. From what he had gathered from the crew, she made better decisions when she was drunk, because she was quicker to act.

She leaped off of the crow's nest, landing in between Naraku and Sesshoumaru. She set her impeccably clean hands on their shoulders. "You sure you'll trust us to take you to the mainland?" she asked them.

Sesshoumaru pushed off her hand unceremoniously. She let it drop without comment. "If you should make a stupid mistake, I will kill you, koi."

She was apparently used to threats, and this one rolled right off. "Yeah, all right. We're not gonna kill you in your sleep or something either," she assured him. She glanced at Rin. "Any of you. I wouldn't allow it."

Sesshoumaru found himself staring at her hand, which was still on Naraku's shoulder. He narrowed his eyes, feeling his anger rising—both at Nanako and Naraku. He was more angry with Naraku, though. This was just how the captain was, and she thought nothing of it. He, however… "How long will this voyage take?"

She shrugged, her hand slipping off of Naraku's shoulder, unnoticed to him. "That would depend on the weather," she said. "I can give you an estimate, though."

"Do so."

"Three days, if the good weather holds up," she said.

Sesshoumaru blinked. It would be that fast?

"This is the fastest ship in the sea," she said with a grin. "You'll see why. Are you ready to set sail, my lord?"

"Yes." Sesshoumaru stepped beside Naraku, who was still staring out at sea, totally oblivious to what was going on.

She nodded and began barking out orders to her crew, stalking away from them. Rin rushed up to Sesshoumaru, grinning from ear to ear. "This is so exciting! Have you ever been on a ship like this, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Shuarra Meitsuki jumped on Naraku. Kuraimaru stepped up on the rail, looking out at the water. "Yes," he said. "You'll tire of it soon enough, Rin."

She ignored his last statement, far too swept up in her obvious state of glee. The koi youkai rushed back and forth at their tasks. The sails billowed with the wind. The oars paddled the water. Rin rushed to the stern of the ship, looking out at the land they were leaving. The twins were right at her heels. Sesshoumaru wondered dimly if Rin would ever mature past sixteen. Considering that her aging had stopped, it was entirely possible that her mind had stopped in a way as well. That was fine, though.

Iria walked up behind Sesshoumaru and Naraku. "Where are we headed?"

"I thought we could start in Korea," Sesshoumaru said. "After we resupply, Nanako will take us to China, but that is as far as they can take us."

Iria made a face. "And then we have to make the rest of the crossing by land?"

Naraku shook his head. He pointed to a place on the map he had been studying. "Nanako and her crew are going to harbor their boat here, and then swim to here." He pointed to another point. "They swim faster than the boat, so they'll beat us there if we go by land, where they are going to accumulate another ship, and then take us to India. That is as far as they are willing to go."

"I am surprised that you are coming with us, Iria," Sesshoumaru commented. He had thought that she would have stayed. She wasn't easily picked off for being a youkai, because of her human-like appearance and weak aura, so she was in no direct danger.

She laughed. "As often as all of you get hurt, you'd all die without me." She wandered off.

"The lack of discipline on this ship is sickening!" Nanako practically shrieked. Naraku glanced over at her, then back at the map. Sesshoumaru watched her out of curiosity. She was screaming at a male koi youkai twice her size, and he did certainly appear to be cowering. "Don't question my course!"

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. That gave cause for worry. Had she selected treacherous waters for this journey? He didn't know the koi very well, but Naraku had apparently met her when he was waiting for the Sacred Jewel to reappear, and that she was an excellent captain, navigator, and helmsman. He said that her only flaw was that any time the going looked rough, she threw herself from the frying pan into the fire, so to speak. That only increased his feelings of worry—and jealousy. Nanako had known Naraku before he had—and they obviously knew each other fairly well.

"C-Captain… It's just that… The sea dragon resides…"

"I don't care about the dragon! Naraku or Sesshoumaru could handle it anyway, ne!? So don't question your captain!"

"B-but…"

She had enough of his arguments. She grabbed onto his obi in one fist and the collar of his haori in the other and literally held him over her head. She tossed him over the railing, into the water, and told him to get up on deck.

Sesshoumaru leveled his eyes. She was putting them all at risk. He didn't like her. He didn't know exactly why, but he didn't like her. It wasn't that he thought she had ill intentions, or anything like that. And that only made him more suspicious—of himself as well as her. It would be better if he were suspicious of her ill intent. But he really didn't like that she and Naraku were acquaintances. He didn't like it at all.

Had she and Naraku… before?

He had to know.

He glanced at Naraku. But it wouldn't be right to just come out and ask. Naraku would be angry if he did that, and he didn't want to make him angry, he just wanted to know. He needed to know. If he didn't find out—

"You need to use the Jewel soon," Naraku said.

Why couldn't he just drop it already!? "No. I'm staying this way," Sesshoumaru snapped, a little more harshly than he had intended.

Naraku looked up at him. "That could cause trouble, you know."

Sesshoumaru looked away, too angry to say anything intelligent. He wanted to punch Naraku, but that would just provoke him, then their argument would turn into a fist-fight—which had already happened before. Never mind that it had ended in really rough, sort of angry sex, though. The ship was only so large, and the way they fought, they would end up destroying it.

Instead, Sesshoumaru chose a different tactic. "You cannot begin to imagine how much I wanted to be a man. Do you think I would ever give that up?" He looked out at the sea. "It's extremely selfish of you for you to want me to sacrifice my happiness for yours."

"That's not at all what I mean," he said, rising to his feet.

Sesshoumaru stepped closer to the railing, wrapping his fingers around the rail. "Then what do you mean? That you are dissatisfied currently?"

"No. But I really do love your female body."

"It's my soul you should love, not my body," Sesshoumaru said flatly.

He had a valid point. "But it was your body that drew me to you."

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _Pervert._

"And, if you do this, it will raise fewer suspicions. And isn't this why we were leaving Japan?" Naraku wrapped his arms around Sesshoumaru, hugging him from behind. Sesshoumaru ignored him. "Please consider that you are putting us all at risk by being obstinate."

"And now you try to make _me_ sound selfish."

"You _are_ selfish," he muttered, kissing his lover's cheek in an attempt to soften his words.

Sesshoumaru decided that he was quite tired of this endless argument. He turned around and kissed him, in the hopes that that would shut him up.

Naraku pulled away. "You need to use the Jewel to become female again—just for a little—" Sesshoumaru kissed him. Naraku tried to pull away. The other held him in place, then let go, hoping that he wouldn't try to talk again. His hopes were crushed. "Sesshoumaru, would you listen to—" He crushed his lips with his again, refusing to relinquish them. Naraku still tried to talk despite this. Frustrated, Sesshoumaru ran his hand along the hanyou's thigh, gliding along the fabric. Slowly, Naraku's words trailed off, then came to an abrupt halt when Sesshoumaru touched something else. His eyes darted around to the crew and their children. "Stop it." Sesshoumaru may not particularly care, but he _knew_ some of these youkai.

"Stop talking about the Shikon Jewel, then." Sesshoumaru didn't stop when he had spoken, and he was quickly becoming aroused, despite where they were. He twisted away—or at least, tried to. Sesshoumaru had an iron grip on his arm.

"All right. We'll discuss this later, then. Agreed?"

"Yes."

"Then when? We need to talk about it."

Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth in anger, pulled his hand away from Naraku's crotch, curled it into a fist and slammed it into his stomach. Naraku flinched, the wind knocked out of him. He gasped a little, and took several deep breaths. "Let's _not _talk about it," the youkai suggested.

Naraku glared at him. "This is important, Sesshoumaru. You need to understand that everyone is in danger if you continue this."  
"There must be another way."

"There _isn't_."

"Ridiculous," Sesshoumaru said flatly. He turned and stalked away.


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry about all the Original Characters. I really hate OC, but I couldn't really go without it! Rest assured that most of them aren't important.

**Chapter Eleven**

_Trouble Brewing_

Three days had passed. Naraku and Sesshoumaru had barely spoken to each other since then, and the situation was so tense that one could feel it in the air. Even the crew were not oblivious to it.

Rin tried to avoid them because of it—which was how she ended up at the helm with Nanako.

"But why are you dropping us off in China?" She glanced toward Korea. She could see it now. The wind had let up a day ago, and set them a little behind. "And then leaving your boat and building a new one?"

Nanako glanced around. "This ship has a bounty on it," she admitted.

"_Nani_?" Rin wondered, trying to figure out why it would have a bounty on it.

The captain toyed with a spyglass while she spoke. "Well, considering that we would be sailing along the coast, it would be dangerous, because humans are A) after our heads, and B) want the ship as an addition to their fleets. Mostly, battling them all would be a large waste of time, and they could damage the ship, and repairs are costly and take a lot of time." She shrugged. "But regarding the bounty… Youkai also want this ship. We've been marauding these waters for centuries—against youkai and ningen alike. So, you see…"

"Oh," Rin said. They were youkai pirates. More or less.

Nanako seemed to know what she was thinking. "Don't call us 'pirates' either. We're not attacking for any more plunder than necessary." She grinned. "Mostly, we just like to have fun now and then."

How reassuring.

Nanako seemed to sense something. She rose to her feet and peered over the railing. "Oh, shit…" She started screaming orders, her voice tinged with the tell-tale signs of panic. Rin's heart began to pound. What could make a youkai like her start panicking? Rin looked off where the captain had been looking. Her eyes widened with fright. A whirlpool—it had just sprung up from nowhere. Worse, they were headed straight for it. But Nanako wasn't worried about herself; she was a fish. The other passengers were not. Rin gauged the distance between land and the ship. Sesshoumaru and Naraku could fly. The problem was, all the things aboard the boat would be lost.

Rin found Nanako on deck, still screaming out orders. She tapped her on the shoulder. Nanako whirled around in a circle to look at her. "Is it too late?"

Nanako shook her head. "We can avoid it."  
"Where did it come from?"

"The sea dragon." She turned back to her feverishly working crew. "Secure that line!" She looked back at Rin. "Get Naraku and Sesshoumaru."

Rin nodded and rushed down the stairs, trying to find one of them. She found Naraku with Kuraimaru and Shuarra Meitsuki. She blurted out everything that was going on in a rush. When she finished, she said, "Where's Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Hell if I know," he muttered, before brushing past her on his way outside, ready to play his role as extra firepower.

The icy grip of panic seized Rin's heart. Where was Sesshoumaru? "What's going on, Rin-chan?" Shuarra Meitsuki wondered.

Rin tried to smile for her, but it was half-hearted. "Oh, don't worry about it. Just a youkai causing trouble." She started to leave, then paused. "You two stay here."

"We will," the younger twin chimed.

"Hm," the older one confirmed.

"By the way, have you seen Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin wondered.

Shuarra Meitsuki shook her head. Kuraimaru considered, then sniffed the air. He looked around a bit, trying to "sense" where his "mother" was. He pointed with absolute surety. "Not on the ship anymore," he said. Rin looked in the direction he was pointing. She opened the curtain on the window. He was pointing toward land—toward Korea. At least he hadn't headed back to Japan. She had known that Naraku and Sesshoumaru were not getting along well, but she didn't know it was this bad.

One hour earlier…

"Sesshoumaru… We are almost to the mainland. I need you to consider—"  
"No," he snapped.

Naraku tried to keep his temper from rising. "Listen to me."

"No."

"We left Japan because it was dangerous for the children. Now you're just putting them at risk again because you have to be selfish."

Sesshoumaru fingers curled into fists. He was tired of this conversation. Absolutely sick of it. He had half a mind to throw the damn Sacred Jewel into the sea. Of course… then a sea youkai would have it. "I doubt those ignorant humans will give it a second thought. We can say that we are relatives. We can say that Rin and Kuraimaru are mine, and Shuarra Meitsuki is yours. They are the same age, and were raised together. Those fools will think nothing of it."  
"What makes you so certain?"

"Humans are idiotic."

Naraku pressed two fingers to his temples, thoroughly irritated. "You're wrong about that."

"Hm?"

"This would all be infinitely easier if you were female."

"I disagree."

That was it. He couldn't take it _any more_. "Stop being so obstinate!"

"Obstinate?" Sesshoumaru rose to his feet, angry. "Stop coming to me with such idiotic notions." He turned from him. The silence was like a curtain between them. "You smell like Nanako."

"This entire ship smells like Nanako."

"You don't smell like the ship though. You smell like _her_, specifically."

"I was talking with her about our course."

"Are you certain that that's all it was?"

Naraku's eyes narrowed. "What else could it be?"

Sesshoumaru struggled to control his temper. "Has it ever been anything more than what it is now?"

He grew further annoyed. "Even if that was the case, it makes no difference now. You're the only one I desire."  
"Is that so."

"Yes."  
Sesshoumaru turned and glared at him. "That whore is constantly trying to entice you."

Was she? He thought back to all the times she had been around. She did have a tendency to brush up against him a lot, and then there were the times when they were leaning over the charts. She had spread her hands out, leaning over, pushing her hair out of the way so that his view was unobstructed. Her kimono had not been tied very well. As a result, the top had fallen open. He had assumed that she had either not noticed, or didn't care. Then there were those times when she hung off of him—which she did an awful lot. But she had always been like this. He always thought it was because she was never completely sober. Had she just been trying to get him in bed? "Well, if she is, all of her advances thus far have failed."  
Sesshoumaru froze. _"Thus far?"_ What did that mean? "Naraku…"

"You're jealous, jumping to conclusions, and being paranoid," he snapped. "Nothing is going on between us."  
"Has it ever?"

"No!"

"But she wants something to be there."

He wanted to slap Sesshoumaru. Maybe then he would listen to him. The only thing he ever responded to was violence or sex. "I don't care about that. It doesn't matter what she wants. It's about what I want, and what you want?"

Sesshoumaru looked away. What Naraku really wanted was a woman. Nanako was a woman—an attractive woman at that. Even when Sesshoumaru had been female, she just did not have the body Nanako had. Sesshoumaru had been thin. Nanako was more shapely. Sesshoumaru was also sort of cruel to Naraku. Nanako wasn't. Would she be better for him? He had been asking himself that for the past couple of days. _Would Naraku and Nanako be better together?_ Naraku really had wanted a female mate. He still loved having sex when Sesshoumaru was a man, and didn't mind being with him otherwise, but… Besides, he was causing everyone so much trouble. It really would be easier if they weren't together. In a lot of ways.

Not just because Naraku would be happier, but because everyone would be better off. If he were out of the picture, then there wouldn't be so many problems with the mother/father issue in Europe. Besides, they were all excited to go. He wasn't. Was he really just a drag?

He wondered if Naraku was actually happy being with him, or if he was only here because it was routine, and for the children. What if he only said that he loved him out of routine? And besides, what did words mean anyway?

"What you want…" Sesshoumaru repeated softly. "And what I want." _I want you to be happy._ The thought sort of surprised him, but only for a moment. Yes, he wanted Naraku to be happy. He had accepted him for who he was, if only for a while. He had taken care of him throughout the pregnancy and was an excellent father to their children. It had been asking too much to accept him as a man when he wanted otherwise. It had been too much to ask him to remain a hanyou, when he wanted so badly to be a youkai. It had been too much of everything.

Well, he wasn't giving him the Sacred Jewel—for his own sake. The blood might be too much for him. Regardless, he could at least be with a woman—with Nanako. She wanted him, and probably wouldn't treat him so poorly like Sesshoumaru did. And, Naraku, despite his cold-hearted ambitions and disregard for those he did not care for, was not deserving of such treatment. It hurt, though, to think of these things, like a knife through the stomach. He needed to be alone to consider this. He rose to his feet and pushed past Naraku. Without looking at him, he said. "You want Nanako, do you not?" Before Naraku could answer, Sesshoumaru was gone.

"Bastard," Naraku muttered under his breath. Sesshoumaru wouldn't listen to reason, would he? He _didn't _want Nanako! But maybe after all this, the captain would be a relief. If Sesshoumaru wanted to take off and leave, he sure as hell wouldn't wait for him to come back. Sesshoumaru was upset about something. If he was going to be gone for years, he was _not _just going to sit around twiddling his thumbs and welcome him back with open arms.

Was that what the dog expected? That he would do that? He always did. And, usually Naraku always welcomed him back. Sesshoumaru had always been grateful, but when he left, he had never been angry or upset. What should he do? Go after him, leave him alone?

If he went after him, he might just stay gone longer. It would be best to wait for him for a while. If he was gone any longer than a few days, though…

His fingers curled in to fists. _Sesshoumaru_. Naraku was tired of getting walked on like this. He was tired of the dog never listening to him. When he saw him, they were going to have a heart to heart conversation, and he was _going_ to get through to him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

_Sea Dragon_

It wasn't that the dragon was much of a problem for Naraku; it was that he kept looking at the shore, as if he still was hoping that Sesshoumaru would miraculously change his mind and come back. Not that such a thing would ever happen. Sesshoumaru was far too stuck up and prideful to do that—just like any woman, no matter what body he was in. Sesshoumaru was upset, jealous, and was trying to self-sacrifice for an idiotic and totally pointless reason. Damn it.

Sometimes, he really wanted to know how that dog came to the conclusions he did. Sometimes, he really wanted to know how his mind worked. And at the same time, ignorance was bliss.

All of the crew were so busy trying to avoid attacks and at the same time veer the ship away from the maelstrom that they were absolutely useless—particularly Nanako. She was ordering the sails trimmed, anchor dropped, and the ship veered to starboard—whatever that meant. As a last resort, she was ordering some of the stronger swimmers to dive in and physically push the ship away. He knew that they couldn't drown and that they were much stronger than they looked (like any youkai), but it still seemed idiotic, the way the storm was picking up with the sea dragon's ill temper. At least a couple of them were bound to get sucked into the maelstrom anyway.

He had a barrier erected around the ship, so for the time being, it was impervious to the attacks—but not from the sea. He worried about the twins and Rin. His barrier would protect against attacks, but he was still getting soaked from the rain. Would the ship still sink?

The answer wasn't something he particularly wanted to discover.

The dragon spouted the usual bull shit about being all-powerful for a bit before he attacked. Why did _all_ youkai do that, anyway? _He_ never did that, he simply _was _powerful. Only the truly powerful do not brag about their power. It was also an attempt to cow the opponent, of course. Most youkai would rather back down from a fight, actually. Hell, if you can win without putting forth the effort, why bother with the effort?

Regardless, though, the dragon had discovered that any forward attack was useless. So, to escape from Naraku, he dove back into the water, widening and strengthening the maelstrom—where Naraku couldn't get to him. Perhaps it was time to abandon ship.

He grabbed a hold of Nanako as she rushed past by her braided hair. "Would it be a good time to abandon ship now, Captain?"

She scowled. "Not all is lost."

"Would it be safer for the children?"

She considered. "Well…" She glanced at the water and shouted another order, then looked back at Naraku. "You should get the children to land. We'll take care of the dragon."

He was running back down the stairs before she had finished speaking. He didn't give them an explanation. He just picked up Shuarra, deposited her on his shoulders, picked up a complaining Kuraimaru, and grabbed Rin with his free hand, halfway dragging her up the stairs onto the deck. They were headed straight into the whirlpool now. He glanced to the helm. Nanako had let go of the wheel, and was laughing like mad as they went right into the whirlpool. Many of her crew seemed concerned for her sanity, but were more interested in preserving their lives than she appeared to be. Some of her own crew had lost faith in her and had leaped overboard, swimming away. Not all of them made it. There were still the more loyal ones, though, and they were the more useful as well, so there was no real loss.

What the hell was she _doing_?

He would get them to land, and then come back and help her with the dragon. It was the only sensible thing to do. Nanako had no rational thoughts in her head. That was just totally unappealing to Naraku. How could Sesshoumaru ever think that he saw anything in her? That guy…

Sesshoumaru was really quite insecure, when it came down to it. He had always known it, but… He had never even imagined _how_ insecure that beautiful creature really was. If he had only known… Perhaps if he had realized how anxious Sesshoumaru felt…

What the hell was he _thinking_? It wasn't _his _fault that Sesshoumaru was an insecure, paranoid freak!

Although, he should have been more sensitive to that. Damn! He had _known_ that he was so apprehensive.

But, no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't think of it as being his fault completely. Sesshoumaru and his weird complexes was at least 80 of the problem right now.

And when he got a hold of that bastard…

He'd kiss him, tell him he loves him, and that Nanako means nothing at all.

That was what Sesshoumaru needed to hear, and that was what he was going to tell him. Maybe if he went after him, he'd believe him. He should anyway though. Why did Sesshoumaru always just make everything more complicated?

On the way to the shore, Rin had demanded an explanation for why Sesshoumaru had run off. He guessed that she probably deserved one, after all. He sighed. "Sesshoumaru got it in his head that there is something between me and Nanako," he said. That was the simplest way he could put it, and as few words as he could think of.

"Why…" Rin suddenly became angry. "Why would you give him a right to think that?"  
She was rushing to his defense—as always. He returned her glare in kind. She did not back down when most would have. "I did nothing."

"You must've done _something_!" she accused. "You should be more considerate! You had to have done something!"

Instead of verbally retaliating and denying all of this, he considered. But no matter what, he could think of nothing that would have led him to believe this. The only thing Sesshoumaru had ever mentioned was smelling like Nanako, and if they had been together in the past—which they had not. Then he realized what had confirmed everything in Sesshoumaru's mind. He hadn't answered if they had. He had ignored the question and instead started yelling, which further proved this to Sesshoumaru.

He had never meant for this to happen. He didn't want Sesshoumaru to be so upset that he thought he had to leave. If he had just thought before he spoke, listened more intently to Sesshoumaru's words, or had not started an argument…

Now he understood. It could have looked different than what it really was. Sesshoumaru had been afraid that it was true, and had convinced himself that it was.

Shit…

He just hoped that he would listen to him. He had to explain this to him, had to hold him, kiss him, and tell him that he had been wrong—thankfully, joyously wrong.

No, more than that, they had both been wrong. Naraku had been wrong to yell at Sesshoumaru, and Sesshoumaru had been wrong to misjudge Naraku. But it would be okay.

It had to be.

He let Rin and the twins on the beach, giving Rin strict instructions to keep a very close watch on her adopted siblings.

He wanted to look for Sesshoumaru, but he supposed that the crew of the ship desperately needed his help. It wouldn't be long anyway, so he returned to the ship to play hero.

However, he stayed off the ship. Nanako had steered it right into the maelstrom, and was laughing madly as it spiraled downwards. The others were working to keep it from tipping over. However, the genius of her insanity could now be seen. For, the sea dragon was actually inside of the whirlpool, and every time the ship whipped past it, they had a chance to attack—which they did, with demonic power, guns, and cannons.

Nanako spotted Naraku. "So you didn't run off! Get your ass down here and help us out! Yargh! Die, scum!" The last bit was to the sea dragon.

He sighed deeply. He floated down to the center, avoiding the mast of the ship. The dragon suddenly lunged toward him. Naraku's tentacles reached out to grasp the dragon, wrapping around it completely. His absorbing powers worked a lot like a normal stomach. Soon, the dragon was broken up and its power was coursing through Naraku's veins. Sesshoumaru was probably right when he said that he could become quite powerful without the use of the jewel.

The sea calmed and the ship righted itself, now sailing gently on the sea. The sails unfurled again and the crew that had been thrown overboard (and who weren't eaten or bleeding to death in the water uncared for) started climbing back onboard. Nanako yelled a congratulations to Naraku, before she went back to swearing at her crew.

He didn't waste his time any longer. He had to find Sesshoumaru now.

He could not have gotten far.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

_Conflict Resolved_

--Change of Prose—

I needed time to think clearly—time I wasn't so certain that any of us had. It took me forever to come to a simple conclusion, and this was so complicated. I needed to be rational, but for some reason, I just couldn't be. I wanted to be irrational, because it was easier. I wanted to run away from my problems, because it was too difficult to confront them. I give up easily, like most youkai. I saw no point in fighting if I couldn't win, so I gave up. I was giving up this mental battle too—but I would fight for a little while before I relented.

Naraku and Nanako. Their names were even similar-sounding. They also looked better together, and she was a girl—and did not desire otherwise, like me. Naraku had wanted a woman, had he not?

I was so stuck on that. He had wanted a woman. But he liked me for me, didn't he? Yes, he had stayed with me for so long. And pestered me incessantly about becoming female again.

Naraku was right, though. I was putting everyone in danger by staying male. We were going through all this trouble, and I was complicating things. But I wasn't going to change. I wanted to stay male. I liked this body, and I felt comfortable in it like I never had before. I had felt wrong when I was a girl. Just… wrong. Like wearing clothing that was slightly too small or too large: wrong. One could also equate it to sticking one's head into a shark's mouth—horribly wrong.

I didn't want to return to something that I hated so much. But that was selfish, was it not? That was what Naraku said. He had said that I was selfish. But wasn't my happiness important? I wished that there was a way that we could compromise. But how? Even if we could, he and Nanako were…

They had to be. They had a history together, did they not? And she obviously seemed to want him. Perhaps… And he had evaded my question as well. That was proof enough, wasn't it?

I sighed deeply.

I felt miserable and utterly alone—like I hadn't felt in decades. The funny thing about contentment is that it is easy to grow accustomed to, whereas sadness is not. It doesn't matter how satisfied with life one might be—something like this happens, and that period of content only makes the sadness harder to manage.

I hadn't been this miserable since Inuyasha had split open my haori and I had woken up staring at him oh-so long ago. That was how this had all began, after all—back when Naraku had seen me in the woods through the eyes of his puppet.

I sat down slowly, resting my back against a tree. What should I do? Where should I go? I didn't know.

I closed my eyes. I had no idea. Could I really abandon the children? Going would only put them at risk. What about Rin? She would be at risk as well, would she not? But it still felt wrong. But I couldn't possibly go with them and endanger everyone. But I also couldn't leave them. Well, the more I thought about, the more I thought… Yes, I could leave them. A part of me would die inside, but I could.

Except that… That part of me that would die—my hope, my passion, my devotion, and my love—was what was worth living for, was it not? So, either way, I would be miserable.

I would be miserable if I stayed with them because we would be in danger. And if I were a woman, I'd be miserable because of that. And if I left, I would be content because I would remain a man. However, everyone that meant anything to me would be out of my reach—possibly forever.

There wasn't an in-between, was there?

I kept trying to find that in-between, gray area, but I couldn't seem to locate it. Any time I thought I had, I thought of something obviously wrong with any of the ideas that came to mind, and so I had gotten no where in this struggle.

I kept second-guessing myself and wondering, but I came to no real conclusions. I just succeeded in sinking deeper into the waters of misery. One of the gods really must hate me.

Not that I could really blame them, of course.

--Normal Prose—

Naraku followed Sesshoumaru's aura. He had landed on the beach and had ventured in to the deciduous forest, so Naraku followed him. Rin had no trouble keeping the children on the beach, as they were only too happy to kick off their shoes and run around on the sand and the shallower waters. He sort of envied them that. Their lives were so carefree.

He was surprised that Sesshoumaru wasn't moving farther away from him. He had to have smelled him by now—unless all of the other unfamiliar scents were overwhelming him. Regardless, he made no effort to disguise his approach. Doing so might provoke the dog, and he did _not_ want to chase him all across Asia.

When he saw him, he understood why he hadn't moved. Sesshoumaru was asleep. By the looks of things, he had been upset and had mentally exhausted himself. Despite how peaceful he looked, if Naraku got too close, Sesshoumaru would automatically lash out. Sesshoumaru was in unfamiliar territory, and would register everything as a threat right now.

"Sesshoumaru," he said.

The dog stirred slightly, but didn't move.

"Sesshoumaru," he repeated, taking a dangerous step further, closer to the youkai's sleeping wrath. Said youkai's eyes flickered, then closed again. One more step forward. "Sesshoumaru…" Saying his name would probably calm him down—something familiar, anyway, might prevent a sudden attack.

Sesshoumaru's eyes suddenly snapped open, eyes glowing red, lips curled in a snarl. Naraku took a step back unintentionally. He had seen Sesshoumaru angry plenty of times before, and for many reasons. However, he had never seen him just wake up angry and ready to transform. This was Sesshoumaru at his most primal.

Sesshoumaru's eyes faded to gold as his consciousness rushed to the forefront of his mind, pushing down his instincts. He blinked, trying to register what he was seeing. Sesshoumaru looked away. Naraku closed the distance between them and kneeled down to look him in the eye. "I don't care about Nanako," Naraku said flatly.

Sesshoumaru blinked, but said nothing.

"She's just the captain of the ship; that's all. Just a tool to get us from one place to another. She might be attracted to me, but feelings are not mutual." He touched Sesshoumaru's cheek gently. "And my relationship with Nanako has never been more than close acquaintances."

"How close?"

"Close enough to know her well enough to know that I want nothing to do with her personally."

"And before you knew her?"

He sighed. "Sesshoumaru. Nanako and I have _never_ had sex. We never will." He moved and sat beside him. "What else is bothering you?"

He was silent for a moment. "Do I cause you trouble?"

Naraku was tempted to be flippant, but decided that now was not the time. "Not particularly. Except for times like this."

Sesshoumaru looked away. "Am I causing trouble by staying with you now—putting everyone in danger?"  
"Yes."

He looked down.

"We can resolve this, you know."  
He looked back at him. "How?"

Naraku stood up. "I'm not certain." He looked at Sesshoumaru, an older but renovated idea sparking. "What if we ay that you and I are relatives? The twins call me 'father' so we can say that I am the biological parent, and you are… The mother's brother? We can say that she passed away…"

It wasn't all that far from the truth, anyway. Sesshoumaru rose to his feet, suddenly feeling infinitely better. "No, let us say that I am your cousin, which makes more sense. Rin can be my daughter, and the rest of my 'family' is dead." That was also mostly true.

Naraku started to walk away. When Sesshoumaru hadn't moved, he turned back. He grabbed on to his lover's wrist and tugged him gently forward. Sesshoumaru seemed strangely unsure of himself, though. "Is there something else?"

"It bothers me that I had never considered this."

He almost laughed. "You were too close to the problem; that's all."

When Sesshoumaru started walking, his hand slipped away, brushing against Sesshoumaru's palm. Sesshoumaru's movement was quick and he had ensnared his hand in his in an instant. "Don't let me do that again. I almost left all of you." Sesshoumaru suddenly jerked Naraku backwards. He hadn't been expecting it, so he half-fell as he was turned back around, but Sesshoumaru caught him with his other hand. The dog kissed the spider. The kiss was full of frustration and unreleased sexual tension. It had been days. He wasn't used to "days." Only hours. "Don't let go of me again." He dropped Naraku's hand and his fingers trailed to his obi.

"The children are waiting…"

"They can wait."

He pulled at the sash, untying it. He let it fall to the forest floor. Naraku's gaze darted back in the general direction of the beach. "I'm sure that Nanako and her crew will come ashore as well…"

"There's a town nearby. They'll go there." Naraku had thought that was a human town. He was a bit confused, because youkai typically didn't live together, except under extenuating circumstances. Then again, it was probably a youkai pirate town. Nanako had mentioned something like that. However, Sesshoumaru wasn't about to give him time to ponder it.

"But…"

"I don't care if that bitch sees us." Sesshoumaru started pulling off Naraku's haori. "You should be more compliant to my wishes."

Naraku rolled his eyes. How could he possibly be any _more_ compliant than he already was? "Sesshoumaru…"  
"Fuck me."

"Sesshoumaru, there's too much we need to do right now. I left the twins on the beach—"  
Sesshoumaru dropped his garments on the ground unceremoniously. "I'm sure they're quite happy there."

"Well, Rin is—"

"I'm sure she is quite happy as well."

Naraku was grasping at straws. "Iria and Jaken will be in a panic."  
This only seemed to please Sesshoumaru. "Good." He began undressing himself. Naraku seemed to have no way out of this. He had sort of been enjoying not having to exert himself on a nightly/daily basis. He actually got to sleep, woke up at a decent hour, and…

Sesshoumaru was naked. Oh, hell. Fuck his sleeping schedule.

Better yet, fuck this beautiful creature.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

_The Beach_

Nanako's ship had been damaged in the battle with the dragon—not badly, but enough for her to request a few extra days for repair. Basically, it meant they would be staying a week and a half rather than the original three days.

The twins were thrilled; it meant that they had more time to play on the sandy beaches. Rin just sort of sighed and convinced Iria to come with her to keep her company while she watched them. Those two could get in to all sorts of trouble, and it was nice to a have at least one youkai around who could keep them under some control when they went on a rampage. They respected Rin, yes, but sometimes, they would choose to ignore her and there wasn't too much she could do once they ran off.

Currently, they were behaving fairly well. Well, as well as they behaved, at any rate. Shuarra Meitsuki was trying to build a sandcastle. Kuraimaru always waited until she had completed at least half of it before he smashed it. Despite all of Rin's threats and time outs, Kuraimaru continued destroying them. Rin really wished that Kuraimaru was a bit less like Sesshoumaru sometimes. Shuarra had successfully almost completed it, having managed to keep her older brother at bay with a barrier, as she was learning how to control it, under Naraku's careful guidance. She wasn't very good at keeping it up for very long, and there were occasionally holes in it, and it wouldn't keep out very many youkai or humans, but it was good enough to keep out another child.

They still weren't quite sure what Kuraimaru's powers would be, as he showed no sign of having any, aside from his slight manipulation and transformation. Sometimes, they wondered if he had any at all. Most youkai showed signs of their true power in childhood, and honed them in their adolescence. It was discouraging, certainly—but any time it was mentioned, Kuraimaru never even seemed bothered. Rin thought that he was hiding something, but couldn't decide what.

Kuraimaru stood on the outside of her pinkish red barrier, fuming angrily. She was humming contentedly to herself, smirking occasionally at her older brother. He finally gave up and stalked away. He transformed and rushed out toward the water. Rin watched him extremely carefully when he did that. She was so worried that he would get caught in the current and drug out, but he never even got pulled under. Shuarra Meitsuki watched him for a moment. She decided that her castle was completed when she stuck a stick in it and added another seashell for decoration. Her barrier fell once she moved. She hadn't intended that to happen, but there was no avoiding it. She wasn't very good at it yet.

She turned and kicked her sandcastle, giggling with delight at having ruined it before the incoming tide could. She dashed off after her brother, knowing full well to grab on to his fur so she wouldn't get pulled out. Iria tensed a bit when the younger of the twins went out in the water. She shifted her position, ready to spring should she need to.

Once, Shuarra Meitsuki went under and floundered in the surf. Iria and Rin leaped to their feet and began a headlong dash for the water, but Kuraimaru grabbed on to her with his teeth and hauled her backwards. He made sure that she was steady before he let her go. As usual, she went right back for more, and the youkai and immortal human relaxed a bit. Shuarra Meitsuki kept both hands on Kuraimaru's fur though. Eventually, she climbed on to his back, and he ventured out a bit deeper.

They fought a lot--but more often, they got along perfectly.

Kuraimaru had finally had enough, so turned away from the tide, as it was going out anyway. His sister sulked, saddened. She climbed off of him once they got to the sand again. She was completely soaked and dripping. Kuraimaru transformed. He was not better off for it, though.

Rin tried to stop them from going on to the wet sand and getting sand all over themselves and their clothes (which were older play clothes, as their parents knew how much they liked to ruin clothing), but to no avail. If anything, it only encouraged them to run up on to the sand, dashing around madly, kicking up sand, tackling each other, shoving each other down, and other such horseplay, thus getting absolutely filthy. With Iria's help, Rin managed to round the two of them up and pry off their sopping wet clothing. She hung it up in a tree to dry. Being children, they didn't much care that they were naked. Kuraimaru could simply transform anyway. So, they went back down to the shore and this time, Kuraimaru helped Shuarra Meitsuki build a sandcastle, complete with town, and a snake-like youkai attacking the town. After it was finished, they played at destroying it, as if it were their imaginary snake youkai destroying it.

By then, they had dried off so that they could brush off the dried sand, though their hair was a lost cause. Rin sent them to the bathhouse once they got back to the inn anyway, though. They really were a handful. Rin wondered what Sesshoumaru had been like when he was younger, and if it was anything like his son.

Rin, in desperate need of a break from her adopted siblings, requested that Jaken look after them—a task that he found to be one of the most difficult he had ever been asked to do. It was much like trying to play shepherd to two cats—or dogs, as it were. It doesn't work very well.

They ran off to the garden to play the second they realized that he was their current guardian. Kuraimaru climbed up the biggest tree he could find. Jaken would have suspected that he had learned his lesson about climbing things, but apparently not. Shuarra Meitsuki pouted at the bottom for a time, before running off to skip rocks in the pond. Kuraimaru disappeared into the upper boughs. Jaken danced back and forth, in an utter panic.

"Prince Kuraimaru, you must get down!" he screeched.

Kuraimaru glanced down at the ground, resituating himself so he would be more comfortable. "No."

This caused Jaken to screech even more. Kuraimaru tuned him out and watched the seabirds' aerial ballet. Jaken, recalling how Sesshoumaru had injured him last time, ran off to fetch Iria. As soon as he left, Kuraimaru climbed back down, however.

Iria was irritated because of this, but no more than she usually was by Jaken, so returned to whatever it was she had been doing previously.

Rin, Sesshoumaru, and Naraku basically just kept dumping the twins on Jaken. Naturally, they were never actually too far away, after learning their lesson from last time. However, they wanted to enjoy this tropical paradise. Rin wanted to explore the terrain with Iria, and didn't want to be encumbered by the twins. She returned every evening, but there was a lot to see. She also liked to take trips to the bay and look at the way the ship was getting rebuilt. The youkai in the town actually didn't carry too much hatred for humans, other than that humans were taking over and killing them—but they really didn't mind Rin being there. Actually, they thought that the idea of an immortal human was quite interesting, and were curious to know how a mortal handled immortality. Basically, she quite enjoyed her stay.

Sesshoumaru and Naraku spent a lot of time talking, discussing their lives, what they were going to do, and, of course, having sex on the beach—which is actually entirely overrated. Basically, the wind whips in your face—bad for long hair like theirs, you get covered in gritty sand (sometimes in the eyes or mouth), and it irritates the skin. But they had to do it at least once, and then vowed never to do it again and stuck to their room at the inn, and various places in the forest.

Naraku still refused to give up that he wanted Sesshoumaru to be a woman. However, the youkai would not relent.

Though, secretly, he could not help but feel guilty. He had hoped that this would be resolved, but Naraku still wanted him to be a woman. It was more than a physical attraction, though. Naraku wanted the body he had first loved. It was understandable.

Sesshoumaru glanced at Naraku. He was asleep, exhausted, and rightfully. Maybe one day—a long time from now—he would become female again. But not now. He wanted to enjoy this body; he loved it. And yet…

Even if he was a woman, though, he could never wear a woman's clothing. He sighed. To become a woman again… To have that filthy body, with all of its curves and strange build…? How could he ever do that again?

He was torn two ways. He wanted to meet Naraku halfway and, also, to know that he had made him happy. That was what he wanted the most. But, he also wanted what _he_ desired, and he desired this body.

What should he do?


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

_Too Late_

Once the ship was repaired again, they set sail again, this time for China. Nanako had promised them that they had made arrangements with a few youkai from the mainland to both provide escort to them, and, of course, to carry their things—which was their main purpose, as they did not particularly require or desire an escort.

Sesshoumaru and Naraku were honestly surprised that neither of the twins had fallen overboard on their trip to Korea, but there was always opportunity for that to happen on this trip. As a safety procedure, they made sure that they never ran about unchecked—which was probably a good thing as later on the twins decided that playing tag on the railing and mast might be fun. Rin deterred them by dragging them to their room, literally, and then Sesshoumaru had to threaten them from continuing to do anything that might be hazardous. It was difficult having such wild children sometimes—more often than note, actually.

There was a storm once, but the captain and her crew were skilled with the sea and a ship, so there was no trouble. Other than that, the weather held up rather well. Once, the wind had ceased. Rather than wait for it, though, Nanako had the crew trim the sails and use the "wings," as she called them—that is, the oars. Her nautical terms were sometimes disorienting for those not accustomed to life at sea.

For some reason, Naraku seemed nervous about something. Sesshoumaru had been watching him the last few days, and he was constantly staring out at the horizon, waiting to see land even more anxiously than the lookout in the crow's nest.

"Are you tired of being at sea?" Sesshoumaru wondered, weary of trying to guess at what the trouble was.

"No…"

He frowned. "Sick of Nanako?" The koi captain had not deterred her advances toward Naraku at all, despite Sesshoumaru's veiled threats, glares, and vague growling sounds. It was as if she were completely oblivious to it. Even when Naraku had made a blatant point of moving away from her and toward Sesshoumaru, she had not taken the hint. Either she was stupid, or it really was just her personality shining through. It still looked like she was flirting with him though.

"Not entirely…"

Sesshoumaru moved beside him and looked at his troubled features. "Then what is wrong?"

Naraku's eyes darted about, trying to find some kind of island—anything other than the ship, in fact. "I was expecting to be there by now…"

"What are you talking about?"

"It is…" He glanced up at the position of the sun. "I might have about two days before my body forces the transformation…"

"Oh… I see." That could be troublesome if they were still on the ship at that time. Sesshoumaru laid his hand on his shoulder gently. "If you want to go on ahead, that is fine."

Naraku had known that a sea voyage would be risky for him, but he had taken the chance anyway, putting his faith in Nanako's skills. He should have let the transformation overcome him right before the voyage. It had been idiotic not to. He shook his head. "That could be troublesome right now—my power is waning. I've gone too long without it."

That was why he was so nervous. Sesshoumaru looked around. He doubted that they would make it in time, and Naraku doubted that he had the strength to make it to shore. "I'll take you."

Naraku looked at him. He didn't like that idea _at all_. If Sesshoumaru took him, there was a very high chance that he might get a glimpse of him in his lesser state—and that wasn't even something that _he_ liked looking at himself in, and the smell was unbearable, but he was accustomed to it. He just _couldn't_ let Sesshoumaru see him like that. But what choice did he have? Nanako didn't know he was a hanyou, and neither did the crew. It would create problems if they knew, so they could just say that they were going on ahead. He sighed. Risking Sesshoumaru finding him was better than the alternative—risking everyone seeing him. Nevertheless, he didn't answer. He didn't want to rely on Sesshoumaru.

"I'll tell Nanako that you are seasick," Sesshoumaru said. "Everything will be okay."

"You should let me become a youkai. Then we won't have this problem." He glanced at him. "What will we do when we're traveling to Europe? What about when we get there?"

Sesshoumaru was unconcerned. "The youkai taking our things will not ask questions when we wander off together."

"T… together…" Sesshoumaru would…

"I won't look," he promised. "You can hide, but I'm staying nearby—to protect you. Besides, fewer questions will be asked that way." His voice took on a suggestive tone. "Don't you agree?"

"Fine. What about once we are there?"

The dog considered, then a thought occurred to him. "How would you feel about being locked in a basement?"

"So long as the smell doesn't leak through." He didn't want to be anywhere where there might be light. He didn't want to see it, and he especially didn't want Sesshoumaru, the twins, or Rin to see it. If Sesshoumaru saw it, it would just be awkward. If it were the twins, he would have a lot of explaining to do that he wanted to avoid at all costs. If it were Rin, it would, once more, be quite awkward.

Sesshoumaru leaned forward and kissed him softly. "Don't worry. I'm here." Sesshomaru's fingers curled into Naraku's hair. "I'll guard your secret too."

Naraku sighed and looked away, still unhappy. That was as good as it was going to get though. "All right. Tell Nanako, and then we will leave."

"You should tell Rin."

He nodded. Rin would pass it on to Iria, Jaken, and the twins that Sesshoumaru and Naraku had left. He wasn't about to tell them the real reason though. Iria could probably figure it out on her own anyway—simply from how fatigued he was.

He found Rin with the twins. Shuarra Meitsuki and Kuraimaru were receiving Italian lessons from Rin, who herself was still in the process of learning, though she was quite functional in the language, but she did have a bad accent.

Once Naraku walked through the door, Shuarra Meitsuki jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He was in no mood or shape for this. He dislodged her and set her down on the floor, muffing her hair affectionately. It was sort of disturbing how much she looked like Kagura had. He had, after all, sculpted Kagura as sort of a shadow of himself, though. It only made sense that Shuarra Meitsuki might look like her, though she certainly didn't act like her—thank gods.

Kuraimaru greeted him in Italian vaguely, with an accent—but understandable enough to know what he said.

"Nara-chan, you look sort of weary," Rin commented.

"It is stress, I'm certain." That was part of it, anyway. "Sesshoumaru-sama and I are going on ahead. We will meet you there."  
Rin sort of frowned, but decided to wave off her questions for later. "All right. I'll take care of the twins for you. I'll tell Iria-chan and Jaken-san too."

"Arigatou, Rin." He turned and left to find Sesshoumaru. He couldn't believe he was agreeing to let Sesshoumaru take him there, and then watch over him afterwards.

He was not looking forward to this. There was too much at risk right now. He was beginning to have second thoughts about this trip…

Too late for that now!


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Naraku was being stubborn. He floated in his barrier about as long as he possibly could, and didn't bother to tell Sesshoumaru when his power was waning. Not that Sesshoumaru didn't figure it out anyway. He could sense the hanyou's power, and it was slowly fading away to nothing. Naraku's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell. Sesshoumaru caught him long before he would have hit the water.

"Baka," the dog hissed, pulling him to him.

"There isn't much time," Naraku muttered. It was all he could do just to stay—literally—in one piece.

"I can see it now. It won't be long."

"Hurry."

He didn't waste any more time on words. He used a different method of transport this time. The light consumed him. He wasn't sure if it would work with Naraku, but apparently, it did. This method was the fastest available to him, and soon, he called back his power and landed on the shore. Naraku pushed away from him and stumbled a little. Sesshoumaru frowned. Naraku was doing something now. He saw the first signs of the illusion—the crisscrossings in the air, like a 2-dimensional blueprint. It became translucent, then shimmered once and seemed real. It wasn't nearly as grand as the previous illusions he had conjured, nor nearly as large. It was one room, but that was apparently all that was called for. Naraku stumbled in to it, refusing any help from Sesshoumaru and glaring at him when he tried to follow him. Naraku opened the door, half-fell in, then slammed it closed. Sesshoumaru doubted that slamming it had been intentional. He had been in a panic for quite a while, after all.

He heard another door open. This one sounded like a trapdoor. It closed with a solid bang. Sesshoumaru allowed his mind to wonder about this.

Naraku descended the steps in to the darkness. No sooner had he touched the cold earth of the floor than his power, already so diminished, was finally snuffed out like a dying candle. He was no longer able to hold his body together. He flinched, knowing very well what was coming.

It was like his body was being torn apart in some places, forcing itself apart in others, and in other places, it just fell away. There were more body parts than it seemed like there should be. More organs than there should be, more flesh as well. He had been keeping it compact, in one solid piece, in one form, with the use of his power. It had become second nature, so he was used to it. It was a lot like—one could say—wearing a heavy ring or necklace. It just grew to be normal after a while. When his power waned, his body, naturally, collapsed.

It wasn't so much how it felt that was sickening. It just felt like he was being spread out, which was true anyway. It was how it sounded that bothered him. Slick, cold, like something heavy, damp, and potentially squishy hitting the floor. Other noises were hissing sounds as pieces of youkai dropped from his body. Other noises were like something being pushed through flesh. It was a sound that, overall, just shouldn't be heard.

The smell was bad too. It wasn't that the pieces were rotting. It wasn't even as if they were exactly dead. Organs have a distinct and pungent scent. With so many just lying around, the smell was awful. At least there weren't any flies. He had experienced that once, and that was all it had taken. They were irritating, and his body was too spread out to do much about it.

Once it was finished, all it left was his head. Even then, it served more as a link to the rest of the pieces than a head. His core being was actually elsewhere. Not a very large organ amidst the mass of them. Not very important-looking or even useful. And definitely unwanted and unneeded.

Onigumo's heart. His heart. The beginning of his existence.

Sesshoumaru had once mentioned a human girl called Sara who had become a hanyou at her moment of death. The only thing that surprised him about the story was how long the youkai inside of her had waited. He hadn't so much as given Onigumo a chance. He wondered, vaguely, if, somewhere, Onigumo was locked in his mind, watching, waiting, his heart crying out every time he saw Kikyou, driving him to find her and be with her. Damn him.

She was dead, so Onigumo should just go to hell too. He was constantly aware of the heart's presence, as if it were a heavy burden, even though the small organ was completely lost amidst the youkai body parts lying about.

Just a few more hours. Then he could begin piecing his body back together. He heard the door open. Sesshoumaru…

"I told you to stay out," Naraku muttered. His voice came from no distinct part of what was, for the time being, his body.

"It's raining," Sesshoumaru replied. "I'm not coming downstairs. Don't worry."

"Don't even open the door."

"I won't." Sesshoumaru sat down on the floor, leaning his back against the wall, listening to the rain hit the roof.

"We wouldn't have this problem if you would give me the Shikon no Tama."

There was no chance of that ever happening. "I really don't mind it, Naraku." He stretched a little. "I don't mind watching over you."

"I do," he muttered.

Sesshoumaru was bemused. Naraku was so touchy about being a hanyou—rightfully so.

"I have a better idea. Let's use the Shikon no Tama and make _you_ a hanyou, Sesshoumaru. Then you can get an idea of what it's like," Naraku spat.

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes. "I doubt such a thing would be possible."

"It made you a man."

"It did not change my bloodlines."

"It _can_ change bloodlines, though."

Sesshoumaru wasn't so certain about that. "I disagree."

"Oh?"

He inspected his claws for dirt idly. "I think that it shifts the bloodlines, but doesn't change them, per se. It sort of controls the dominant bloodline and pushes the other aside. Quite simply, you couldn't make me a hanyou because I have no human blood in my veins."

Naraku scowled, irritated. "Then how did it make you go from female to male?" From being a goddess of a youkai to a statuesque male, that is.

Sesshoumaru was undeterred by Naraku's tone. "That did not alter my bloodline in any way."

He decided to give up. They remained silent for a while. Sesshoumaru's eyes slowly closed and he ended up falling asleep, listening to the rain hit the roof and roll off on to the sand.

Naraku, like most half demons, never slept during this time, so was content to listen to Sesshoumaru's steady breathing and the fall of the rain outside, mingling with the sound of the tide.

It took hours, but, slowly, his strength returned. It was always a welcoming, safe feeling. Being in his weaker state was a lot like trying to sit still with a knife to your back; it was maddening, and he hated the paranoia too. Slowly, his body twisted back in to his normal self, the form he had chosen. His clothing had sort of fallen away earlier. He pulled the garments back on and climbed up the steps. He carefully opened the trapdoor and slipped through, trying to be as quiet as he could to keep from waking Sesshoumaru.

No such luck, however. Sesshoumaru's stirred and halfway opened his eyes. Naraku held his breath, waiting. His breathing evened again and he fell back asleep. He moved over to him. He kneeled in front of him and began peeling off his armor. He used two tentacles to balance it and set it down gently on the floor. It was either the slight noise or the loss of the weight that woke Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru's eyes slid open. Naraku leaned forward and kissed him.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

_No Luck_

They could have just gone back to the ship, but didn't see the point. Having sex in the illusionary house seemed like a better idea anyway, as there was no need to be quiet. Besides, sex was a good way to relieve frustration, and there was a lot to be frustrated about right now—the Sacred Jewel, each other, being stuck on a boat, Nanako, jealousy, and other problems.

They couldn't use their clothing to protect their skin, because then they would have to wash their clothes, so Sesshoumaru decided to try to deal with the wooden floor on his back/knees/hands/stomach/etc, depending on their chosen position. Not that Naraku was much better off. He missed having a futon. His knees were completely raw, and only when they had finished, did either fully notice the state of their skin. Sesshoumaru was more bothered by it. At the same time, it was amusing and sort of satisfying for Naraku—to know that he had shaken the beautiful dog so hard that, in places, the skin on his back had been torn away by the floorboards. Also, there was the fact that Sesshoumaru still had very feminine tendencies—such as being flustered at having his otherwise perfect skin damaged.

He didn't think that Sesshoumaru would want to do much of anything for a while, but, as usual, he misjudged the youkai, as Sesshoumaru was panting after Naraku as if the dog were in heat, even though he wasn't female any more.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Naraku muttered, lying face-down in the silken pile of their clothing. "Leave me the fuck alone."

Sesshoumaru would not be refused. "It's going to be the last time in a while we'll have to be so loud. Just one more time."

"No…"

Sesshoumaru smirked and crawled over him, straddling him. "Fuck me, or I'll do it to you."

That was enough to convince Naraku to move. No way would he surrender his seme position unless he was absolutely certain he wasn't up to it. "Just give me ten minutes."

"Five."

"Eight."

"Three."

He could Sesshoumaru's slender, somewhat rubbed-raw hands gliding along the muscles of Naraku's back. Sesshoumaru leaned down, pushing Naraku's tangled black hair aside and licking his neck softly, teasing the sensitive flesh with the tip of his tongue. "Damn it, bitch! Leave me alone."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. He really disliked being insulted like that. Really disliked it. There might be truth to that, but he was male now. It was rude. "Don't insult me, hanyou."

Naraku glared at him out of the corner of his eye, then closed his eyes. Wasn't worth arguing over. Fuck, if Sesshoumaru was going to be such a jackass, he wasn't going to do his bidding. He allowed his breathing to slow and even and his mind began to drift off contentedly. His eyes snapped open upon feeling where Sesshoumaru's hands had wandered to. He groaned and sat up, pushing Sesshoumaru off of him gently.

"One more time, then you have to let me sleep," he insisted. Sesshoumaru seemed pleased with that. He glanced at his lover. He turned to him and kissed him. "I love you. That's the only reason I put up with you."

"I can't be that bad."

Naraku raised an eyebrow, but decided to save his complaints for later. And he had an awful lot of them, too.

prose change

Naraku's list of complaints against Sesshoumaru: (These are in no particular order.)

Never lets me sleep—ever.

Won't leave me alone for longer than 60 minutes after sunset.

Makes me deal with all of the twins' problems.

Demands sex too often, leading to lack of sleep. I am not an insomniac!

Forces me to be a hanyou.

Doesn't want me to be a youkai.

Insists on being male.

Hates the female body.

Forces me to be uke on occasion. Luckily, this only happens rarely.

Doesn't ever say "I love you."

Is too jealous.

Is too suspicious of my relationships with others.

Never punishes the twins.

Is a picky eater. Puts toddlers to shame.

Puts me in to awkward situations.

Is emotionally-challenged.

Is egotistical and self-centered.

Very vain.

Is whiny and temperamental when things don't go the way he desires them to.

This list is incomplete.

resumes prose

"You have no idea." He kissed him again. He gently moved Sesshoumaru in to his personal favorite position. He wet his fingers and worked at preparing his entrance, all the while thinking. What were they going to do once they got to Italy? Yes, they had made a plan. Everything was laid out and ready. They could even prepare a house ahead of time before they arrived in Florence, as Rin had planned. What about things like this, though? Ah, well. A small barrier around them might do everyone some good.

Sesshoumaru was ready for him, though. He had to work to give himself an erection, which was most annoying. He didn't care if Sesshoumaru knew that he wasn't horribly interested right now though. He sighed inwardly. Everything really was working out so far. If only Sesshoumaru would be a girl though… More sex options that way.

He pushed in to him the second he could. Ecstasy ensued, sort of against his will.

Sesshoumaru was beginning to have second thoughts about this. He tried to scowl at Naraku, but couldn't between the gasps and moans. He had chosen this position on purpose, knowing that Sesshoumaru's hands and knees were in the worst shape. Honestly, though, he supposed he might deserve it. Ah, well.

After a while, his knees started to bleed. He realized that his arms were shaking. The position, in combination with how ragged his flesh was, was growing to be too much. He was shaking, and it was more than sexual stimuli. He was going to fall. But it was definitely his fault. No denying that. He supposed, though, that Naraku was being so rough on purpose, because he was annoyed, and thought Sesshoumaru deserved it.

Well, fine. He could live with that. He could just make a note for the future; do not push Naraku in to doing this. He's devious and will always be that way. He didn't want to, and now…

Naraku slammed all the way in to him. Sesshoumaru's arms gave out. His palms hurt so badly. He slipped down, his forehead touching the floor, his hair spilling over his shoulders, onto the floorboards.

Naraku slowed down, but didn't entirely stop. "Sesshoumaru?"

"Don't stop," he moaned. Naraku sighed. He was in pain, and that didn't seem to bother him enough to stop him. Ah, well. He just wanted to get Sesshoumaru off, then get himself off, if at all possible, then go to sleep and wait for the others. So, he didn't stop. When Sesshoumaru's legs gave out from the pain, he caught him, holding him up, then gently lowered him. He loved the position immediately and couldn't stop; he finished. Luckily, it was as Sesshoumaru spilled his seed on the floor, and not before.

Naraku pulled out of him and laid down on top of him. Sesshoumaru looked at him. "What are you doing?" he muttered.

"Preventing you from doing anything," he muttered, eyes already sliding closed.

Sesshoumaru sort of struggled to get up. With Naraku's weight on top of him, he couldn't, though. He couldn't situate himself to use his own strength to push him off. If he tried hard enough, he might be able to sit up and disentangle himself. He made a vague, half-hearted attempt to do so. Naraku's tentacles came flying out of his flesh, pinning his wrists down. Naraku relaxed and the tentacles loosened, but remained lying on his wrists. For all the ease that Naraku used them, they were heavy. Heavier than they ought to be. He supposed it made sense though.

Sesshoumaru sighed. More punishment? He sort of smiled crookedly. All right, Naraku. Point taken.

on the ship

One of the koi crewmembers had spotted land, which meant an enthusiastic rush to get the ship to land. Rin made an effort to keep the twins below the deck at this time. Right now, after all, Nanako was assuring that all hell broke loose. She was screaming orders to and fro, and the crew rushed to obey their loose cannon of a captain. Best to keep the twins out of the way.

Iria went aboard deck, only to discover that the koi youkai on the ship had more or less lied to them. Not about there being land, but about why Nanako was yelling so much. There were two mainland human warships headed their way.

Nanako was trying to outrun them. So far, she was succeeding, but, just in case, they were readying the cannons and making sure they were prepared for a battle.

Iria approached the captain and tapped on her shoulder, irritated. Nanako didn't notice. "Nanako!"

The koi spun around. "What?"

"What's going on?"

Nanako rolled her eyes. "We're trying not to have a bad encounter right now. If those ships don't make it to port, then the humans will wonder about it. Thus, we're running away to avoid suspicion."

Well, that made sense anyway. "And?"

"And what?"

"And if we can't outrun them?"

Nanako frowned. "They can't catch up to us. It's not possible."

"That's nonsense. It's always possible. What if they're youkai?"  
Nanako glanced at the oncoming ships and frowned. "It's possible." She squinted, trying to see some kind of aura, but couldn't. "I don't think so, though. The colours are all wrong, and so is the flag."

"Don't let your guard down," Iria said.

Nanako shrugged. "Never do. At any rate, though, we can't head to the shore with them behind us."

"What about Sesshoumaru-sama and Naraku-san?" Iria demanded.

Nanako looked to the land, then to the ships. "Can't be helped. We don't have the time. Besides, they'll probably find us, ne?"

"True."

"Then, no worries. Keep the twins down below anyway, though."

Iria nodded. "Nanako, tell us if anything happens."  
Nanako made a vague salute and marched about barking orders once more. Iria glanced nervously toward shore. She certainly hoped that those two would figure it out and come looking for them. They probably would anyway—if they weren't too busy having sex anyway. Kami, she hoped they were watching this right now and would figure this out. She knew, however, that no one would have that kind of luck.


	18. Chapter 18

I'm so sorry this chapter took so long! A lot has been going on lately, so this had to take a back seat for a while.

**Chapter Eighteen**

_Vanished?_

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the two warships moved on, but Nanako did keep a watch on them until they were far out of sight, and she didn't dare to make it even look like they were going ashore, so they didn't. Naraku or Sesshoumaru were bound to figure out that something had happened if they didn't arrive in the next day or so, and it would not be difficult for either of them to find them.

All the same, it was frustrating and worrisome. Rin didn't stop being worried until the pair showed up two days later. Nanako explained what had happened and why they couldn't stop. They seemed willing enough to relent, and she made port at a different location after sending word to the youkai who were going to help them move of their changed place.

After being on the ship for so long, the non-fish aboard the ship were happy to go ashore again. Most of all, they were happy to bathe again, have fresh water, and fresh food. The sea voyage had been interesting, but it was better on land if you weren't a fish.

Rin thoroughly enjoyed the land crossing to India. She didn't mind walking at all, and often chattered endlessly about how much she was enjoying it, and how it brought her right back to her childhood. She had smiled at Sesshoumaru as she said it. He didn't exactly smile back, but his features shifted a little—became somehow lighter in a way that made him seem, at least, content.

The twins were often difficult to manage, and they got in to their fair share of trouble, but it was nothing more than the usual trouble, and there were fewer youkai here as well, so there were no major incidents for the most part. Naraku tried out his spell on Jaken before they left China's borders. Sesshoumaru was unimpressed, as usual. Rin thought it was hilarious. The twins just didn't care—possibly because Kuraimaru, somehow, saw right through the illusion, and it made no difference to Shuarra Meitsuki.

Regardless, Jaken was as ugly in a human form as he was normally, albeit somewhat more bearable. His stature had not changed, though, but that was to be expected. His voice hadn't changed at all, much to Sesshoumaru's dismay. It was his voice, more than anything, that got on his nerves. Sesshoumaru thought that it might be difficult to think of him as being Jaken, but it wasn't—probably mostly because of that horrible, scratchy voice.

When they came in to India, they had to keep the children closer, lest they run in to trouble with tigers, human hunters, or some such thing. They were really too young to take care of themselves, after all. At night, Naraku put up barriers and reverse barriers to ward of things like that, so no one really worried too much.

One night, Kuraimaru, unable to sleep, rose from the ground and transformed back into his semi-human self and wandered away. He pushed a hand against the barrier. Like pushing open a heavy door, he stepped through it. It practically slammed shut behind him.

"Kurai-kun!" Shuarra whined. He looked behind him.

"Sis?"

"You can't leave me," she said.

He hesitated, then reached out his hand, passing it through both barriers as easily as slipping his hand through water. Because being separated was too painful for both of them, he decided that he didn't want to go on any further unless he could bring his sister with him. It was one thing when he thought she had been asleep—and a completely different situation when she was watching him leave. Trying to pull her through was a lot like trying to fit a square screw through a round hole. It wasn't working.

Frustrated, he passed back through it. "You're giving up?" she wondered, cocking her head to the side. It wasn't like her twin to give up—ever.

"No. I'm just trying something different." He held on to both of her hands and took a deep breath. He pulled her a bit closer, hoping it would be enough. "Step with me through Father's barrier."

She nodded. They glanced back at the adults, then forced their way through. It rippled once. Kuraimaru's heart pounded. Naraku would be furious. Would it break? The barrier stabilized and the two breathed a sigh of relief. They grinned at each other.

"Where are we going?" Shuarra wondered as they walked away, holding on to each other's hands like a lifeline.

"There was a spring a little ways back. Let's go swimming."

She grinned at the idea of such mischief. "But we can't stay very long. Somebody might figure out we left."

"Yeah. So, we gotta be really fast." He sniffed the air. "It's this way." He pushed forward a bit, then stopped, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. He looked around. "Shuarra-kun…"

"Hm?"

"There's something—"

Too late. The tiger lunged. Shuarra's eyes widened. Kuraimaru pushed her to the side, away from it, sending her sprawling on the ground. Shuarra gave a cry of worry, reaching out for her brother. Kuraimaru suddenly disappeared. He didn't fall, or run, or transform. He simply vanished. Into thin air. The tiger hit the ground, confused. It looked at Shuarra and changed its path. Fear powered her. She threw up a barrier, not daring to move, barely breathing. Yes, it was just an animal. Yes, she was a youkai. But she was a child, and this was a fully grown tiger, and her youkai powers were weak—very weak. Naraku had confided in her once that he feared that, considering how much trouble she had just maintaining a barrier, that she might never become very strong, demonically speaking. She had never cared until now.

The tiger sniffed at the barrier. Kuraimaru suddenly appeared, a little farther away than he had been. His image faded in. He looked at the tiger. The tiger looked back at him. Sizing each other up. He transformed and growled. They were about the same size now. Kuraimaru took a step forward, growling, ready for the attack. The attack never came and the animal fled. Shuarra dropped the barrier and Kuraimaru reverted to his normal form. Kuraimaru looked a bit shaken.

She flew at him, clinging to him. "What happened, Kurai-kun? You disappeared!"

He blinked. "I don't know. I just got scared, and I…" He frowned, trying to decide how to explain it. It was like his body had slipped in and out of the world, through a pocket of time, and he had chosen a short distance to put himself at. It took no longer or shorter than it would have been for him to walk there, but he hadn't walked. It was more like he had floated. No, not even floated. Glided? It was more than that. He had chosen that spot, and he had simply _moved_ there. He shook his head. "I dunno."

Shuarra Meitsuki hugged him tightly. "Let's go back, Kurai-kun."

He scowled. "No. We came this far. Let's go swimming."

"But—the tiger!"

"The tiger went away." He smiled reassuringly. "C'mon. Nobody will ever know." It bothered him that he had never heard of an ability like this before—an ability to disappear and reappear. He knew that some youkai moved so fast it was as if they did this, but he wasn't really moving _at all_. It was puzzling.

It was no different than if he had walked there. In fact, he was still in the same position when he reappeared as when he had vanished to begin with. Based on that, he couldn't change his position. He wondered if it would be the same if, say, he could do that if he were falling, or if he would be placed at the same height, and he would continue his fall.

He would have to experiment with that. But, first, he needed to figure out how to do it at will to begin with. But he could do that later, as, right now, he saw the spring and raced his twin to it. They stripped off their clothes and jumped in carelessly.

After a short swim, they went ashore and found their clothes, talking while they dripped dry. They slipped their clothing back on and wandered back to the camp. Kuraimaru and Shuarra slipped into the barrier and tiptoed back to their beds. No one knew. Giggling, they fell asleep.

No one knew of their exploits—or so they thought, for there was a pair of golden eyes watching them the entire time. Sesshoumaru waited until they were both asleep, then slipped back in to bed.

"What happened?" Naraku whispered.

Sesshoumaru sighed softly. "Kuraimaru is realizing his demonic power. It could be troublesome later on, especially with how mischievous they are."

"Are you certain that it's a good idea to let them think they weren't being watched?"

"It's fine. Kuraimaru will probably never use his demonic power if he is never exposed to danger. Shuarra Meitsuki does it naturally, but Kuraimaru's power is different," Sesshoumaru commented. He stretched. "He uses his based on desire rather than will. If we try to suppress it, his strength will never grow, and we might cripple him."

"Hm. I hope you're right."

"I am."

Naraku rolled his eyes, then closed them. "Whatever you say, love."

Sesshoumaru slid his eyes closed too. "Indeed."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

It wasn't like their parents were being lax in their parental duties. It was that, for whatever reason, Naraku and Sesshoumaru had wandered off in to the woods. From what the others were saying, they must have gone out pretty far, because they couldn't smell or sense either of them.

However, situations like this were best left taken advantage of. No barrier tonight, and two less guards. The twins had to take advantage of this situation.

It wasn't like Iria, Rin, and the others didn't take precautions either. Naturally, they were under supervision until Rin thought they had fallen asleep, and even then, Rin and Iria were on either side of them. The twins watched the two until Iria and Rin had fallen asleep, then they quietly got up and tiptoed out of the camp area. Once certain that no one would hear them, or might mistake them for forest creatures, they broke out in a sprint. Once they were even farther away, they began to laugh and play, weaving in and out of the trees, jumping over foliage, and other such play.

Kuraimaru suddenly froze. It was so unexpected that his twin actually slammed in to him. He stood his ground and she peered around his shoulder curiously.

"What's goin' on--Oh…" Her eyes widened at the sight before her eyes. The two stared in awestruck silence. They knew that they weren't youkai, but it seemed impossible that an ordinary animal could be so big. Beside them, the twins felt insignificant. They were elephants, but they didn't know what they were; they had never seen them before. The elephants paid the youkai twins no heed as they passed, slowly but surely, making large prints in the forest to mark their passing.

When the creatures had passed and the twins lost sight of them, they rushed out of the hiding place to see if they were really as big as they had looked. Shuarra stood in the center of one of the footprints.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "They're so big!"

Kuraimaru nodded. "I wonder what they are."

She hopped to a smaller footprint. "If they stepped on me…" She poked at a tree branch that had been stepped on—split right in two. "I'd be flat." She raised one hand up in the air and brought it down on her other palm, imitating squishing noise vocally, trying to imagine one of those creatures stepping on her or some other smaller creature—like that tiger they had run in to. "Do you think they're mean?" she wondered.

Kuraimaru glanced at the trail. "I don't know."  
She brightened suddenly. "Want to go find out?"

He was really tempted to go. In fact, he almost led the way, then he glanced at the limb that had been so easily snapped in half. If those creatures got angry or frightened… "Bad." He pointed at the limb. "That'll be your spine if you scare them, Shuarra."

"I'm not scary!"

He smirked. "You're face is scary."

"You're so mean!" She picked up a rock and threw it at him. He caught it. This angered her further and she picked up a stick. She charged at her older brother, swinging it like a kendo blade. He laughed and dodged, then jumped upwards, landing precariously in a tree. She ground her teeth in frustration. "If Kurai-kun weren't a coward, you'd come down and fight Shuarra!"

Kuraimaru frowned. "Why?"

"So you're not a coward!"

His frown deepened. "What's the point in fighting you? I already know I'll win."

"Ya don't know that!" She swung her stick again angrily. "Come down here!"

"No. It's a waste of time."

"Loser! Kuraimaru is a loser! Shuarra Meitsuki wins!" She spun around in a circle joyously and stuck her tongue out at her brother. A stick hit her in the face. She glared at him. "You're mean! Sore loser!"

He sighed deeply. "Baka."

"Am not! Coward! Loser!" Another stick hit her in the face. She backed away to what she judged to be a safe distance. She stuck her tongue out again. "Kuraimaru is a loser!"

"Shut up."

She laughed. "It's true! Loser—"

"Shut up!" he snapped.

She frowned and looked around. "Are we in trouble again?"

"Maybe," he said. "Shuarra-kun, get up here."

She dropped her stick immediately and rushed to the tree. With her brother's aide, she scaled it. They waited in silence, searching the darkness for anything out of the ordinary. They heard something walking. They tensed. Kuraimaru could make out a figure in the trees, but the wind was blowing in the wrong direction for him to tell what it was. It was walking toward them. They stopped moving, eyes wide, staring.

The figure stepped out of the trees. They weren't sure of whether to be relieved or frightened, for the figure was Sesshoumaru.

"You are causing trouble for Rin and Iria," he commented.

Kuraimaru jumped down, landing beside him. "They woke up?"

"Yes. They awoke everyone and they are searching for you."

"Oh…"

"You know what this means, Kuraimaru."  
He looked away. "Yes." Big trouble. Shuarra Meitsuki was trying to get down, but her legs weren't quite long enough yet. She was too little make it down safely on her own. Sesshoumaru held out his arms and she let go of the tree branch, trusting him to catch her, which he did. He set her down. She almost hugged him, then backed away upon seeing exactly how displeased he was.

"You're… mad?" she asked.

"Yes."

She looked down. "Because we wandered away on our own."  
"One would think that you two would know better." He sighed. But they were youkai, after all. Arrogant and reckless to the end. But it wasn't like he had a choice but to leave them. Naraku had to leave, regardless, and Sesshoumaru wanted to be there for him, just in case something were to happen. But once he heard the commotion in the camp, he had to investigate. His suspicions had been confirmed, so he had set out looking for his children.

And here they were. Out playing while everyone else was to their wits' end looking for them.

What should he do? What possible punishment could there be that would be functional? An idea suddenly sprang to mind. Separation. They would hate it. If he threatened to separate them, they might actually behave once they were together again. A perfect plan. He would separate them all day the next day, and all night as well.

Come to think of it… He had never seen the two of them apart. They were siblings, but they were also best friends. What would they be like separated from each other?

The answer came in the morning, when Naraku returned. Sesshoumaru had explained the ordeal to him, and Naraku decided to take Shuarra Meitsuki and stay with the rest of the group. Sesshoumaru took Kuraimaru and they went on ahead of them.

For a while, Kuraimaru seemed just fine, then he started looking anxiously over his shoulder, biting his lower lip nervously. All in all, he simply didn't feel right with her so far away, though he never once brought the matter up.

Shuarra Meitsuki was no where near as composed as her brother. She complained often and loudly of his absence, and when threatened in to shutting up, she felt the pain of his absence like missing her intestines—he was so vital. She kept halfway expecting him to suddenly show up, and he didn't. It was disorienting in such a way as that she walked as if in a daze.

By the end of the day, they were both ready to sleep, but couldn't manage to sleep much at all without the other nearby. They both only wondered about the other, and they were out of range for their "mind link," so to speak, to function with clarity. Kuraimaru only knew which direction she was in, and nothing more. He felt like something very important was missing—like maybe an arm or something—without her hovering around him.

In the morning, their punishment was over and they rejoiced upon seeing each other. They remained inseparable for three days afterwards, though they never once snuck out again. The punishment had been a success—and they had made it to the location of the new ship as well. Nanako was already there, waiting for them.

Thought:

I think Rin needs a sexy youkai or even hanyou boyfriend. It won't be for a bit longer, though. Suggestions/ideas/thoughts regarding this are welcome and appreciated.


	20. Chapter 20

Sorry this one took so long, but I've been quite busy between work, school, and handling a family crisis, so forgive me!

**Chapter Twenty**

_Paths_

Overall, their time on the ship was so dull it was not worth mentioning, aside from one incident.

Shuarra Meitsuki was bored. A bored Shuarra usually led to trouble. Today, she discovered that at the bottom of the ship, the crew were mopping, but not with water and soap; with tar. When she asked, they told her that it keeps it from leaking. Unbeknownst to them, Shuarra took a scoop of their tar and wandered away, giggling. She was holding it in a tin cup, which she planned to dispose of once her malicious deed was committed.

You see, Kuraimaru had pushed her out of their room earlier that day and clipped her nose with the door, and she was still a bit angry about that. Kuraimaru had not yet been forced to apologize by Sesshoumaru. Said youkai lord was currently asleep and Rin did not want to wake him. The reason that he was still asleep even at mid-morning was something that Shuarra Meitsuki's juvenile mind could not (and should not) fathom. She knew that Kuraimaru was quite particular about his hair for a boy. It was also rather long—a couple centimeters past his shoulders, to be exact. She couldn't beat him in a fist fight, and she also couldn't say anything to him that would be insulting, because he never really took offense to anything. She had to go for his ego—damage his pride a bit. And the easiest way to do that would be to do something to his hair.

Shuarra Meitsuki couldn't help but giggle again at the mere thought of him screaming and panicking about his hair. He would be _so_ mad!

She wondered what tar would do to hair. It smelled awful.

She poked her head inside the room she shared with her twin. He was inside, studying Italian. Rin wasn't there—which was good.

He sniffed the air a bit. "What's that?"

She had kept her hand behind her back. "Oh, they're mopping the floor with this sticky black stuff," she answered.

He sniffed again. "That's tar. Is it outside the door?"

"No, on the bottom deck."

"It smells closer." He hadn't even looked up from the scroll yet, so he was obviously not too concerned, only slightly suspicious.

"The smell is really strong. I can even smell it from here. You just had the door closed, Kurai-kun."

"Maybe."

She shut the door and hopped over to him. Before he knew what she was doing, she had already grabbed a chunk of his hair and dipped it in the tar. Kuraimaru froze.

Shuarra Meitsuki frowned. That was _not_ what she was expecting. Then she grinned, as his reactions came to full boil. His eyes widened. A look of horror flashed across his childish features. He slowly sat up, staring straight forward for a moment. His eyes shifted to the side of his head that was defiled with tar. Slowly, he moved his arm, lifting the hair away from his clothing. He looked at it. For a moment, he didn't move, didn't breathe, didn't blink.

Then he screamed. It sounded half-howl and half-scream, actually. Either way, it was like nothing Shuarra Meitsuki had ever heard. She took a step back, a little frightened. His eyes turned red. His markings grew more prominent. He glared at Shuarra. She knew that she had better run.

She turned around to flee, but it was too late. He had a stranglehold on her arm, and his other arm wrenched the tar free from her hand. He dumped the rest of it on her. She screamed too.

Rin came rushing inside, panting, looking fearful. Then she slowly relaxed, and the fear became frustration. "What's going on here!" she demanded.

Kuraimaru shoved the cup angrily back to his sister. "She put tar in my hair!"

"He put tar in my hair!" she countered.

"Only because you did it to me first, you brat!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Stop!" Rin yelled before it got out of hand. Kuraimaru was still angry. His markings had receded to normal, but his eyes were still quite red. He was extremely angry. "Kuraimaru, what happened?"

"Shuarra Meitsuki put tar in my hair, and then I put some in hers!"

"Kurai-kun is mean!" Shuarra wailed.

His temper rose. The markings twisted again into a half transformation. He threw his arm out. The sheer force of his aura threw both Shuarra Meitsuki and Rin backwards. Rin his her back against the door, and Shuarra was flung backwards to the window, which, thankfully, wasn't open.

Iria came rushing inside, almost falling over Rin. "I heard yelling. What's—" She felt herself fly through the air, hitting the wall outside the room. There wasn't much force to it; she wasn't hurt at all. Not even Rin was hurt, but it was still sort of disorienting and unexpected.

Kuraimaru finally realized what he was doing and the flames of his temper cooled. He looked at the three of them, then looked down. "Gomennasai," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to."

Rin sighed. Time to go wake up Sesshoumaru after all. However, she didn't need to. He came in partially dressed. Kuraimaru spilled the entire story to him.

Shuarra Meitsuki and Kuraimaru both would be punished according. However, there was no other way about it; they had to cut their hair.

Kuraimaru's hair was cropped to jaw-length, which he hated. Poor Shuarra, however, had to have it cut even shorter, which she was very angry about, and she cried when they cut it. Kuraimaru just sort of stared at his hair and touched it a lot in horror.

After witnessing their reactions, they decided that this punishment would be enough. They behaved themselves for the rest of the voyage.

At the end of it, their things were sent ahead and they said their last farewells to Nanako and her crew. There was no real hurry. They had already made the proper arrangements for their home and everything, so no one was terribly worried. It was just a matter of them getting there. So, they had plenty of time to enjoy the new scenery, animals, and people.

Speaking of which, during Naraku's last time of weakness, when he had pulled himself back together—literally—he had changed his appearance so as not to look quite so Japanese. Sesshoumaru didn't like it at all. When they stopped to make camp, he and Rin often poured over old scrolls of spell forms, looking for something for Shuarra Meitsuki and, possibly, Rin, if at all possibly. Kuraimaru was so pale that it didn't matter too much. And, regarding his hair colour, they could merely say that it ran in that side of the family to get gray hair early.

When Rin had implied that, Sesshoumaru had sent her such a murderous glare that she had burst out howling with laughter. He was so vain that he didn't even like it implied that he aged. It certainly didn't seem as though neither he nor Naraku had aged a day since she had first met either of them, though they certainly had.

Finally, Rin found something that could be of use. She triumphantly presented it to Naraku. He scanned over it and, delighted, immediately set to work on it. Shuarra Meitsuki was not pleased with the results.

"I look funny!" she whined.

"So do I," he countered.

She giggled, then looked at her reflection in the pool and scowled. "Shuarra doesn't like it! Make it go back!"

"We can't do that; it might create problems."

"No!"

"Meitsuki…"

"No! Shuarra Meitsuki doesn't like it!"

This sort of argument continued until Naraku found a spell to mute her voice, then she fell silent on her own upon threat. Luckily, after a frantic search through their traveling archive, they found something useful for Rin. Anyone who didn't know her as one thing, would see her as another. It was quite versatile, so Rin basically got to choose exactly what she looked like without altering anything for herself or for her adopted family. She decided to be blonde, have green eyes, and a few freckles.

After much mostly uneventful traveling, they arrived in their chosen destination. The paths of their new lives were waiting for them. Now it was just a matter of forging those paths.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

_Gunshot_

They had been in France for almost a year when disaster struck. They had had a few close calls before, with Kuraimaru's developing power, and Shuarra Meitsuki's wildness, but nothing like this.

Someone had made a confession to Rin, and Rin, not knowing what to do, had rejected him. The boy had turned and called her a witch publicly.

Soon, false "evidence" began to spring up everywhere, and pretty soon, Sesshoumaru, Naraku, Iria, and even the twins were suspect.

It wasn't safe to leave the premises until they decided what to do. Sesshoumaru was in favour of abandoning everything and taking off.

Naraku was less rash about it. "And what will we do if we resort to that?"

"I can live off of the land, and so can everyone else."

"So, what do we do? Do that until this witch hunting fad ends? It's been years, Sesshoumaru. Years. And it's still horrible," Naraku snapped.

"Well, we can't stay here," he countered. "We have to get out."

"Oh? And what happened to the Sesshoumaru who would have slaughtered the entire town?"

Sesshoumaru sighed deeply. He had long ago stopped doing that. He had once. It had made everything infinitely worse. The church wanted to find them, so did the government. It had made traveling difficult, and put them at risk several times. "You know we can't do that."

The two argued back and forth for a bit longer before Rin intervened. "I agree with Sesshoumaru-sama. We have to leave. Probably tonight. We'll need to leave everything behind, though. We can go to England this time," she said. "Or Germany?"  
"For the time being, let's just get out," Iria said quietly. "I'll wake the twins."

In a lot of ways, for Rin, this was a trip back to her childhood. Having nothing but her the clothes on her back, traveling with Sesshoumaru; it was perfect.

The twins were excited to be sneaking out of the city at such a late hour.

The only things they had brought with them were their clothing, currency, and, of course, the spell scrolls—and even then, only the most important ones. The rest, they had been forced to burn. Naraku had had the idea of setting fire to the house as well, to avoid suspicion.

It seemed like a good idea, so when they were almost to the city limits, Sesshoumaru went back to burn the house down.

It was sort of a depressing task. They had been here for almost a year. He didn't really like not having a permanent home. Sure, he had never used his palace much before the twins were born, but, he realized in their continuous traveling, that having a permanent place was comforting.

Ah, well. Best to burn the bridges now. The best place to start this was probably in a bedroom or kitchen—perhaps the den?

He decided on the kitchen. He turned on an oil lamp, watching the flame for a moment. He heard footsteps outside, distantly. He wondered what the commotion was about. Paranoia insisted that someone had seen them leaving the house, which was always a possibility. Still, it could just as easily be a burglar being chased by the police or something.

It didn't sound so disorderly, though. He could hear horses, too, and smell them. There were quite a few. Oh, no. This would sure complicate things…

He heard a sharp rap on the door. He cursed and ignored it. He spilled the oil on to the floor. He retreated a safe distance. The officer outside was yelling, threatening them. Sesshoumaru sort of rolled his eyes and tossed the lamp over his shoulder. It shattered on the floor and the flame caught quickly. Might as well feed the fire. He tore down a curtain and tossed it in. Anything flammable he immediately saw, he made sure to burn.

The smoke was filling up the room, some of it leaking outside. The door burst open. Sesshoumaru slipped in to the shadows.

"Fire!" There was a bit of a panic. The man in charge, along with a handful of others, ran upstairs to the bedrooms. Sesshoumaru had to kill them now. If they escaped and said that there was no one there, it would cause suspicion they really didn't need.

He slipped after them, silent as a wisp in the night. The others were outside, calling for assistance.

Best to get the ones who were downstairs first; they had better odds of making it out. He couldn't disconnect bone; that was the troublesome part. So, what was the best way to kill them, so that no one would suspect murder? It had to look like an accident.

Accident… He picked up one of those heavy Western chairs. This would be crude. A lot like a human might kill. Much less graceful, much less tactful.

He broke off a leg of the chair. The humans jumped, but merely assumed it to be the fire. They were calling to one another, knowing they needed to get out. Sesshoumaru dropped the chair in the flames and touched the broken leg, letting it catch fire. Sort of like a makeshift torch. Now, the humans saw the flame moving toward them. They saw Sesshoumaru too. At first, they tried to tell him to get out of the fire, then they realized his intent. They had no chance and no time.

He set both afire. Before they could run through the house screaming about murder, he took a heavy vase on the table and smashed it over one of their heads. The second one turned to run. Sesshoumaru knocked him to the floor, as if the fire did not affect the youkai. The human was unconscious. The rest were upstairs. He could just destroy the two stairways, but then they might be able to escape through the windows. He glided up the stairs.

"There's no one here," one of them told the others. There was hushed agreement before they began to leave, panicked. The youkai lord met them. They never stood a glimmer of a change, of course—and all four were downed within seconds. He turned to leave. The smoke was getting troublesome and making his eyes water. He couldn't smell very well either—only the smoke.

He heard a gunshot. Sharp pain. He gasped. He could smell his blood and the gunpowder. His blood was gushing out the wound in his back. He turned. Too slow. How could something so small hurt so badly? How could he have lost this much blood so soon? This was stupid…

He gasped again as the second round was fire. That one only grazed his arm, so it wasn't fatal or anything, but it still hurt. With his other arm, he killed the human with his whip. Better than risking another round.

He flinched. Damn, it hurt.

He was feeling sort of dizzy too. Human artillery weapons had improved a lot since he had first seen them. It seemed sort of stupid to be thinking about that right now though. He needed to get to a window or something. He needed to lie down. Going to sleep sounded good too.

Sort of drowsily, he wondered, _Did the bullet his something vital? It's strange. I don't feel pain any more…_


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

_Quick Recovery_

He was only dimly aware of what was going on. He was aware of someone cursing at him, lifting him up and carrying him away. He could hear voices. They sounded worried. There was one in particular—a scratchy, annoying voice—that was screaming hysterically until someone else physically shut the voice up. Good. The owner of that voice should be in pain for being so annoying…

He couldn't seem to figure out why. Nothing made sense. He felt so dizzy, and his mind was spinning. Couldn't think straight…

"It's a bullet wound," he heard a female voice discern. "Rin, keep the twins away."

"Sesshoumaru…? Is he gonna be all right?" another female voice wondered, this one more tentative, more frightened.

"We hope so. Naraku, can you hold Sesshoumaru down?"

"No," he said flatly, but the youkai felt weight on his arms and shoulders anyway. He realized that he was lying on the grass on his stomach. How had he gotten outside? There had been fire. Yes, fire. Fire everywhere—and the smoke… No air. Can't breathe… If he just went to sleep, it would stop… Sesshoumaru's breathing slowed.

"I'm glad you went back, Naraku," Iria said quietly. She looked at Naraku. "You have to keep him awake. It's vitally important that he doesn't fall asleep."

Naraku tilted Sesshoumaru's head a little. "Sesshoumaru. Listen to me. Stay awake."

"… No…" He blinked slowly.

"Stay awake."

"Stay… awake?"

"That's right. Stay awake."

"Keep talking to him. Keep him calm," Iria instructed. Naraku did so, mostly babbling nonsense—anything to keep Sesshoumaru's attention—to keep him from wandering off in to sleep. Sesshoumaru heard the sound of clothing ripping. He realized that it had to be his. Cold night air hit his exposed flesh, cooling his throbbing back. It felt good. He wanted to go to sleep, but Naraku kept talking to him—more at him than to him, though. He was insistent that he not fall asleep. Fine, he could stay awake… Just a little bit longer… He could do that. Naraku seemed to think it was important, so it probably was.

He felt some pressure on his back, near the wound. He was aware that, distantly, this was probably going to hurt like hell. Most of Iria's remedies were pain-based, after all. He braced for it. Something metal was pushed down inside him. He stiffened. It wasn't so much painful as completely unnerving. It would be very, very easy for Iria to kill him right now. Very easy… He heard both Iria and Naraku warn him to stay still, so he did.

He gasped a little when Iria tilted the metal thing. He heard metal clink against metal. There was a deft, quick movement, a tearing open of his flesh, and the metal thing was gone. He sort of flinched. Iria and Naraku once again told him to be still. He felt something cold and wet touch the wound, cleaning off the fresh blood. She held it there until the blood ceased, slowly.

Then, she began the work of stitching the small wound. If she left it alone, it would heal on its own, but this would be faster. In a youkai, internal wounds were the quickest to heal, so she didn't worry about that.

Slowly, as he felt the needle and the rather painful thread stitch his skin back together, he began to recover some of his lost blood. Slowly, the world made sense again.

He looked at Naraku. "Why did you come back?"

Naraku held up a small, slender wooden case. "It was in the basement. I had forgotten about it."

"What's that?"

Naraku smiled and opened the lid of the case. He unwrapped the portrait and turned it to him. Sesshoumaru scowled at him. "My return for it probably saved your life."

Sesshoumaru looked away. _Father died in a fire. Now I know what it was like. Bleeding, dizzy, not being able to breathe…_

"For that, I thank you. But you should have let that disgraceful thing burn."

Naraku rolled his eyes and rewrapped it. He set it back in the case and closed the lid, locking it again.

Iria snipped the thread and put her things back inside her box. "Now Sesshoumaru needs a new haori."

Sesshoumaru sat up. He had never taken to western clothing—he didn't like the way it felt. Naraku didn't care one way or another. Rin had taken right to it, and Iria right alongside her. To those girls, it was like playing dress up every day—as adults.

"No one thought to bring anything of the sort, did you?" Sesshoumaru wondered vaguely. If not, he was intent on going back to Japan for a new one.

Rin and Naraku exchanged glances. Slowly, both of them smiled. "Naraku brought one… But you won't want anything to do with it," Rin said with a giggle.

Sesshoumaru looked at Naraku suspiciously. Naraku feigned innocence. "It's… Rin's," he lied.

"It would never fit me," Rin pointed out. Iria suddenly caught on. Sesshoumaru refused to think about what this meant. The twins didn't understand at all.

"Why wouldn't Sesshy-kun want anything to do with it?" Shuarra Meitsuki wondered.

"Is it that bad?" Kuraimaru asked.

"He would think so," Naraku answered.

"What is it?" the twins asked in perfect unison.

Rin hid a smile. "A… kimono…"

"Shuarra is confused…"

"Rin-chan, could you explain?"

She stifled a giggle. "A woman's kimono…"

Sesshoumaru looked at Naraku angrily for a moment before stalking off.

"Where are you going?" Naraku demanded.

Sesshoumaru glanced over his shoulder. "Japan. I'll catch up with you in two weeks or so."

"You can't be serious."

"I am."

Naraku raised an eyebrow. "If you would just become female, then—" A rock came sailing through the air. Naraku tilted his head so that it missed him and hit Jaken, who had been standing a bit behind him. Sesshoumaru jumped up in the air and sailed off. Jaken danced to and fro, wailing about being left behind. Everyone ignored him, until his wailing became annoying. Kuraimaru kicked him with a spinning kick, sending the imp sprawling.

"Aren't you going too, Naraku?" Rin wondered.

Naraku glanced at Sesshoumaru. "Maybe. Would all of you be all right?"

Rin nodded. "Of course."

The hanyou looked around, then spotted a good place farther away. That decided, he raised his barrier and expanded it to include everyone. He picked a spot that was far away from civilization, nearby a stream of fresh water, and had a wide enough space for his design. He created an illusionary house. "Stay here until we return," he said.

The others had no problems with that. He left the kimono, the scrolls, and the special and very old portrait of a female child Sesshoumaru with Rin for safekeeping. He headed out after the headstrong youkai.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

_Rin's Smile_

Naraku caught up to Sesshoumaru within an hour. He hovered along beside the headstrong youkai. "You're not really going all the way to Japan, are you?"

"Yes," he said flatly.

Naraku rolled his eyes wearily. "What if I make a reincarnation that can do this for you?"

"A silkworm youkai and a spinning and weaving youkai, and a sewing youkai?"

"No. One can do all of those things."

Sesshoumaru slowed a little. "How long would it take?"

"To create the reincarnation, or to make you a new outfit?"

"Both."

Naraku considered. It had taken him a long time to make the others, but he had made them with strength as their purpose. This one would be fairly easy—a malleable mind, easily killed, and had only skills any human or common animal could do. It could take him three days to make it, and then maybe a week to make Sesshoumaru's outfit. "Two weeks."  
Sesshoumaru scowled.

Naraku looked at him flatly. "It is actually a much shorter time than it would take for you to go back to Japan."

The youkai lord stopped completely, hovering and considering. He glanced back, then towards the direction he had been headed. It would take a lot less time. And, he could stay with everyone else. He sighed and turned around. "Where did you leave them?"

"I'll show you." Naraku guided him back until the house came in to view. The dog looked for it upon "sensing" it. Sesshoumaru spotted the illusionary house and went there. He landed on the grass, a little reluctantly. Rin was surprised to see him. She had been filling a bucket of water from the stream.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, weren't you going back to Japan?"

"I was. Naraku convinced me that there was another way." He glanced at said hanyou. "Would you get to work, Naraku?"

Naraku sighed. "I'm going to sleep first." He walked inside. He had taken the liberty and time to construct furniture as well. And, illusion or not, everything functioned as if it were real. He found the nearest empty room, stripped and went to sleep. Locking the door to keep Sesshoumaru out wouldn't do any good, so he didn't bother.

As luck would have it (for Naraku), Sesshoumaru stayed awake and looked up at the sky for most of the night. He couldn't help but wonder about how all this had happened. How was it that he had ended up pregnant, with Naraku, the Sacred Jewel, and finally got his deepest desire in the world at the end of that tale—to become male?

How had all this happened? He supposed… A chance event in the forest a long time ago. Ironically, the one he could thank for it was Inuyasha.

To think, he had been so angry at the time. Well, "she" had been so angry, technically speaking. But now, he couldn't help but be at least a little grateful—secretly anyway. So much had happened because of that.

And, if he dug a little deeper, he could even reach back farther. After all, "she" had been contemplating a bad memory—which was exactly why Inuyasha had knocked Sesshoumaru unconscious and tore her kimono. By an accident, exactly like it was now. She/he had been careless both times and this is what had happened. With the exception, of courser, that there was no positive side to be seen. Not that she had viewed it as positive then either, of course. Time would tell… Except now, there was no secret concealed behind the layers of clothing.

There was just… _Me,_ Sesshoumaru thought. Or was that true? No. Better not consider the repercussions of that thought. He'd be up all night. He looked up at the sky. Oh, why not be up all night? He hadn't watched the sun rise in a long time.

He was already up here, and he wasn't too tired either. He could stay up. He looked up at the dragon constellation. Dragons were different here than in Japan too. He wished they weren't all gone. He would have liked to see a real European dragon. Unfortunately, though, they were probably all dead.

His mind was wandering again. It was a sign of his real age. He didn't have to look old if he didn't want to, and he certainly didn't want that. As a result, he still looked like he was around his early 20s in human years. Though, in reality, he was getting older in youkai years. Equivalent of early thirties. He sighed. Not that he would die of old age. It was the principal of the thing. Only weaker youkai died of old age. They succumbed to their age instead of defied it.

Naraku, however, would probably never face this problem. Neither would Rin. It was comforting to know that he wasn't the only one who would, though. Iria would, Jaken was, Kuraimaru would, and Shuarra Meitsuki would.

Naraku and Rin alone would remain immune to the feelings of old age—possibly forever. No, was that even true? Naraku might very well grow older. He wasn't too old right now, so it was possible. Sesshoumaru wasn't certain. His breed of hanyou usually never lasted this long. He had known of a few others with similar origins—like Sara—and they usually only lasted a few months at a most. Naraku had endured decades. Why was that? His physical strength? His patience? Or was it his mind? Possibly. It was hard to say for sure. The most he could do was sit and watch.

However, if Naraku would eventually spiritually, emotionally, and mentally age, then only Rin—in all existence—never would. It must be lonely.

He considered that girl. She wasn't lonely now. At least, not outwardly. But she had to be lonely sometimes. She was the only human, after all. She was the only one who wasn't physically strong, who couldn't defend herself very well. She was the most vulnerable—the weak link. But… other times, she held everyone together.

For as much tragedy and bloodshed as that human girl had seen, her smile showed none of it. It was pure—like so few things were in the world. Totally pure, as if she had never known what it was like to feel sorrow. But she had felt sorrow.

He wondered if she really did feel alone in the world. The world's one and only immortal human. He sighed. Rin needed someone… At least one person. That would be her decision though. A youkai, or even a hanyou. It couldn't be human. Could Rin's immortality even be reversed? Or, could they make another human immortal?  
Sesshoumaru considered that for a moment. It was unlikely that the effects could be reversed at will. But, to turn another human immortal? No. It probably wasn't a good idea. Rin was special—she had been raised by immortal beings. It was normal for her. Anyone else… It wouldn't be right. Sesshoumaru doubted that anyone else would be able to take it. Rin had no mortal attachments—no human friends, no human family. She had been alone. That's what made it right for her.

Oh, well. It would be Rin's choice, in the end.

He heard the door open. He sniffed the air, a bit surprised at who he smelled. "Sesshoumaru-sama? You're still out here?" Rin wondered. She rubbed sleep from her eyes. She had apparently woken up—for whatever reason. How long had he been outside thinking of these things? He glanced at the moon in the sky. Hours. Some of the stars were even fading, and the blackish blue of night was fading to the gray of the predawn. "Have you been up all night?"

He looked at her. "Apparently so."

"Well, come inside and I'll make you some tea," she offered.

He nodded his head slightly in a show of approval of this idea. Rin's tea usually turned out well, and one could sense the kindness and strength of her spirit resonating in the cup. Anything that girl touched usually turned out for the best. He couldn't believe that her parents had been murdered sometimes—or that she had witnessed it—the way she went about life.

He remembered what he had been like after his father's death. Sure, "she" had been angry because Inuyasha had robbed "her" birthright. But… Despite "her" age, she had still felt, if even just a little bit, like she had been orphaned. Mother had never really been present too often in later years, and became like a ghost shortly after the ordeal.

Sesshoumaru had been crushed by the entire ordeal—bitter, angry, miserable, and lonely. Rin had struggled through it and still managed to smile.

Fire… Now he knew what it was like.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin wondered.

He looked at her. "Hm?"

She frowned, then shook her head. "I'll get some water."

"Arigatou, Rin."

Rin smiled. It seemed to make the world that much brighter.


	24. Chapter 24

I'm sorry if this chapter sucks—my mind was elsewhere… trying to find a store that still had the Dethalbum Deluxe in stock. My search was fruitless, which made me cry. Which is why this chapter is sort of bad.

Also, thanks for everyone on the various websites I've posted this on for reviewing so frequently! Thinking of you has actually kept me from deciding not to finish the story a few times!

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

_New World_

Regardless of the fact that it was entirely possible to get clothing on such short notice, Sesshoumaru was not going to "lower" himself and wear Western clothing—like Rin, Iria, Shuarra, and Kuraimaru had no problems doing.

He was perfectly content to be half-naked (or less). Rin and Iria attempted to admonish him about this, as it was generally rude in that time period, as well as improper. However, he ignored them. When that was impossible, he had a backup plan.

"Would it be better if I were in my other form?" he wondered.

Considering that that would only make matters infinitely worse, they didn't argue the point further. Though they did want to. Sometimes, it just wasn't worth it and the best route of decision was to ignore the problem.

Naraku was busy for several days creating his next reincarnation and Sesshoumaru was busy pouting and occasionally wandering off into the woods to continue pouting, so it was up to Iria, Rin, and Jaken to watch the twins during this time.

True, they were older now, but they were no less rambunctious. If anything, their continuing wildness just proved that they were never going to calm down.

Like right now.

Rin was trying to ignore it. She really was. There was absolutely no use in getting involved. None whatsoever. She knew from experience that it would change nothing. She also knew that if she did get involved, the sleeping volcano that was their moods would erupt. So, she ignored them as best one can ignore two screaming eleven-year olds that were literally tearing apart the house.

Iria was off somewhere--presumably cooking, from the smells emanating from the general direction of the kitchen. So that left Jaken to handle it. Rin decided that she was busy anyway. They needed to find a place to live soon—somewhere they could live quietly and out of the way, so she didn't move and kept her eyes fixed to the map in front of her.

Jaken was running around after the two, screaming and trying to get them to stop. Rin had no idea what they were doing exactly, but she did know that it was extremely loud and involved sounds that were a lot like wood shattering.

She assumed that the twins were either fighting, or decided to go on a rampage. It really could be either with those two.

No matter what was really going on, it was insanely loud. She heard something go flying—and it sounded like a paper door got crunched to pieces. Did she dare to look? Best not to.

"You must stop!" Jaken wailed.

"Shut up!" the twins yelled in unison. Rin, picking up the tone of their voice, realized that they were fighting and it wasn't the usual rampage. This happened from time to time. At least Kuraimaru hadn't transformed yet.

Shuarra Meitsuki wasn't half as strong as her brother, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve that kept their fights going. She was also a bit faster and more agile. Plus, if things started looking bad for her, she ran to Rin, Sesshoumaru, or Naraku to keep Kuraimaru at bay.

She heard a hiss through the air, followed by a sharp cracking sound. Kuraimaru's whip, inherited from Sesshoumaru. This was getting bad… She debated on intervening, then, once more, decided against it. Sesshoumaru would let them duke it out anyway.

She heard another noise. That was Shuarra Meitsuki's shield rising—the characteristic, harmonic hum in the air made it evident. At least she wasn't going down without some form of retaliation. It was a good thing they were in the age they were; Shuarra never would have survived if the world wasn't changing.

There was a brief power struggle. Rin looked back at them just in time to see Kuraimaru shatter her shield, grab her by the hair and literally throw her _through_ another thin wall. His sister was down for the count finally. Kuraimaru sort of huffed and walked away. As he walked by Rin, she reached over and grabbed him by his shirt collar. "What was that about?" she demanded.

He glanced at her. "Shuarra-chan was annoying me."  
"How?"

"She didn't leave when I told her to, so I pushed her out of my room. She broke the door down and started screaming, then we got in a fight," he said flatly. Rin rubbed her temples slowly with the tips of her fingers, contemplating the divine.

Was there a god? Was he merciful? Was this some kind of celestial punishment?

She felt a wave of annoyance flood from Kuraimaru. _That_ he had done on purpose. He had learned to perfectly control that ability when he was the equivalent of ten, so there was no reason for this now. However, rather than argue with him about it, she let it drop.

"Rin-chan?" he asked.

She looked at him. "Yes?"

"What are we going to do about the broken walls?"

"Is Shuarra Meitsuki all right?"

He glanced back in the room he had last seen her. He listened for a moment and sniffed the air. "Yeah."

"Is she bleeding?"

"No."

"Good… Nothing broken, she never was bleeding…?" She had to ask with him. He was prone to twisting stories around when it worked to his benefit.

He shook his head slightly. "No. Maybe some splinters… And some bruises, but that's all. I promise."

She sighed deeply. "Fine, fine. Whatever. Go away."

He rushed off immediately. It was some time before Shuarra Meitsuki judged it safe to come out of the room that her brother had thrown her in to. Rin could hear her moving around in there.

What had Sesshoumaru called it again? Establishing dominance, that was it. Something that all dogs do. Once he reached adolescence, he would probably have to leave the house, lest he and Sesshoumaru go at each other's throats. At the very least, it would be tense in the house with two dominant male dogs.

She sighed. It wouldn't be long, then, and Kuraimaru would _have_ to leave the house. Sesshoumaru had assured her that he would leave on his own long before Sesshoumaru had to establish his own dominance and force him out.

Unless Sesshoumaru were female. She sighed softly to herself. If he had stayed female, then they wouldn't have that problem either. He really was selfish sometimes.

Most of the time.

She considered the ways of the world right now, how it was changing so much. Would Kuraimaru really be able to survive on his own? If Sesshoumaru stayed male, they would have to kick Kuraimaru out by the time he was equivalently 14—15 at most. That seemed harsh. Rin didn't completely understand it.

Sesshoumaru had explained it to her though. It was like putting two alpha wolves in the same territory. One would run the other out if the other did not back down. It wasn't within either of their personalities to back down. Kuraimaru was just too much like Sesshoumaru for that.

She had hoped that they would just all be together, but apparently, that wasn't the way of the world and two alpha males, despite a close bond, could not stay in each other's presence long. However, once Kuraimaru's testosterone levels settled down (either when he reached full adulthood, or when he had children—whichever comes first) they could be together again.

However, that would be a long time on both accounts. She just couldn't picture him having children. Of course, there had once been a time when she couldn't picture them as eleven-year olds, but here they were.

Shuarra wandered in to the room. She had several bruises on her arms, legs, and one on her face. It didn't seem to bother her though. She would heal soon enough. She peered at the map. "Where haven't we gone?" she wondered.

Rin looked at her. "That's the problem."

The child looked at the map intently. She pointed to one space that was unmarked with a spot of ink, as Rin had been marking the places previously visited. "We haven't gone here at all."

Slowly, a grin formed on Rin's face. No, they hadn't been there. It was ideal. No one would ever know them there. It was a land that was still wild, untamed, there were still places that were known only to the natives. It would be perfect for raising two rambunctious youkai twins.

The New World.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

_America_

By the time Sesshoumaru had gotten his haori, things had returned to a semi-normalness. Not that that particular household was ever normal, but that was beside the point.

Rin first told Naraku about her plan. He seemed to like the idea. They then told Iria about it, and then Jaken. Rin let the twins know before they approached Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin said. He didn't like her tone of voice. Not one bit. He looked at her, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "I have a plan for our next home."

"And?"

Naraku sat down beside him. He wasn't sure how best to do this. Luckily, it was still mid morning, they had had really wild sex the night before, so the youkai should be in a fairly good mood (as far as that went), so this was really the opportune time to do this. If there was a real opportune time. The dog would probably throw a fit. "We've gone to many countries in the past few decades. We worry that some human might see us and recognize us. The simplest solution is to go somewhere we have never been."

"Such as?" Sesshoumaru demanded, still suspicious as can be.

The others were silent for a moment, all eyes on Naraku. He half-scowled at them, if that was possible, then looked back at his lover. His expression turned deadly serious, confident, and not in the least bit intimidated. He allowed that to wash over his voice too. Never mind that he didn't actually feel that way. Sesshoumaru had an unpredictable demeanor and his temper was unmatched when provoked. This might actually be enough to cause him to strike out at him. "The New World."

He looked at the small gathering of anxious/nervous human and youkai. "That is fine." Everyone else released breaths they hadn't realized they had been holding. "Why do you appear so relieved?"

Rin suddenly felt sheepish. A blush coloured her cheeks. "We just thought that…"

"That you would get angry," Iria finished.

"And would get violent," Jaken added.

"And say we can't go," Shuarra Meitsuki put in.

He looked at each of them, contemplating saying something, then thought better of it. Instead, he rose to his feet. "Let us go to England then. We can board a ship there, if you'd like."

No one moved. No one believed that it was this easy. Not with the adamant Sesshoumaru.

Iria stepped forward. "Sesshoumaru-sama, are you ill?" She touched his forehead, then his nose. She turned grabbed his wrist and checked his blood pressure. Seeing that everything was normal, she shook her head in silent disbelief.

"Why would there be anything wrong with me?"

Naraku shook his head sadly. If only they had known it would be so simple.

Well, apparently the sex last night must have been really good.

later

Sesshoumaru gasped, his claws digging in painfully into Naraku's shoulders. He could feel the poison entering the miasma of his blood, blurring together, creating a most deadly toxin. The combination of the two poisons ran in rivulets down his back, getting in his hair. Some of it was running down Sesshoumaru's arms. It intermixed with sweat.

The smell of the poison, the sweat, and sex overpowered the natural fragrances of the forest. There was a hiss as the poison hit the grass, shriveling up the small, insignificant life.

Naraku thought, vaguely in the back of his mind, that if Sesshoumaru were to scream one more time, if he gripped his shoulders just a little bit harder when he did, that his fingers would probably plunge into his skin. A bit curious if it would, he arched his hips at an angle that his lover enjoyed and moved almost violently inside him.

His curiosity was satisfied.

Sesshoumaru's claws tore even larger gashes in his shoulders and his fingers slipped directly underneath Naraku's skin. Naraku shivered, not moving. That feeling was… Unexplainable. It was unnerving, it was disgusting, it was natural (him absorbing youkai a lot kind of natural), and, most of all, it was entirely too pleasurable. His eyes rolled to the back of his head. He made a noise that was not quite a sharp release of breath and released.

He slowly dislodged Sesshoumaru's claws, feeling more miasma gushing down his back. His skin was already beginning to heal, though. Sesshoumaru wasn't finished though, so he kneeled down and took him in his mouth. Sesshoumaru's fingers, coated thoroughly in poison, curled into Naraku's hair. When he gasped, his fingers tightened. When he moaned, his fingers pulled slightly away. When he finally released in white-hot bliss, he gripped Naraku's hair in an iron grip and howled like a wolf (dog, as the case may be), back arching.

When he was finished, he let go of the hanyou's sweat-slick hair and dropped his hands to the forest floor, panting heavily, never wanting to move ever again.

Naraku felt just about the same. He had just enough strength left to crawl beside the youkai, then drop. They glanced at each other, trying to catch their breath, neither quite succeeding.

It would be their last night together for a while, considering the long voyage on the boat. So, they had done their utmost to enjoy it. Apparently, they had succeeded. The only thing they worried about now was Naraku's transformations.

However, Naraku had been testing it for years, and he was relatively certain that he could hold together until the end of the voyage. If not, he would leave for a while, and return quietly.

Shuarra Meitsuki and Kuraimaru behaving like typical humans would be difficult too. However, they had solemnly sworn to do their utmost. At least, Kuraimaru had. And if he did, Shuarra would too.

They had made it perfectly clear to them that if either were to slip up—even once—then they would probably have to kill everyone on the ship. They had understood.

So, throughout the voyage, they played at being human aristocrats, though they mostly kept to themselves as they had all this time. Kuraimaru and Shuarra Meitsuki were blessedly mellow as they had ever been. It was sort eerie.

They took meals inside their room, rather than in the dining room with the rest of the passengers. In fact, they made a point of avoiding contact with them if at all possible. It wasn't always, but they managed. They appeared just enough to not rouse too much suspicion.

And why they only ate in their rooms? It was a quiet family gathering, of course. In truth, Sesshoumaru hardly ever ate at all, Naraku didn't need to and thus didn't, and Kuraimaru ate like a ravenous canine most of the time, as he was, in fact, a growing dog. So, basically, it was necessary to take their meals away from the prying eyes of the passengers. If this behaviour was observed by the humans, it might rouse suspicion. That would only result in death for every human save Rin onboard.

It seemed like they had spent an eternity on the ship. The twins were bored, restless, and still creepy as hell, what with the lack of energy and insanity. Naraku and Sesshoumaru stared at each other a lot—sometimes a little desperately, even having hushed conversations about if they could get away with just one romp in bed. After determining that they were both entirely too loud (Rin and Iria loudly pointed this out), they decided against it, to their mutual disappointment.

Iria was bored sick too, though. She and Rin often wandered around aimlessly on the ship. Jaken was seasick most of the time, so spent a lot of time on deck being sick.

On one of Rin and Iria's early morning walks around the ship, Iria paused and gazed into the West. Suddenly, a broad grin broke across her face. She pointed. "Do you see it?"

"I can't see like you can—"

"Doesn't matter. Not with this landscape. Look!" Iria was practically jumping up and down with excitement. Rin looked in the direction the excited youkai was pointing. She squinted in to the distance, then her eyes widened with glee.

"America!" Rin and Iria chimed together. The end of the long sea voyage was coming to an end.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

_Gone_

America seemed to be the perfect place for them. Sesshoumaru's more adventurous side kicked in immediately, and he left—for days at a time—to explore this new territory. Sometimes, Naraku accompanied him on these expiditions. There were places that were still wild, untouched. The climate was different, the scenery was strange, and there were some animals he had never seen before, but that added to the excitement. Everything was so new. So wild. There was so much to see that, at times, he never wanted to return home. But the thought of the twins and Rin anxiously awaiting Sesshoumaru's return always made him want to go home. He didn't miss Naraku too much usually. He needed some time alone, after all, and they were normally always together.

When Naraku came with him, he enjoyed the company. He liked traveling with someone who could appreciate silence, and sharing the experience was something he treasured. Sometimes, they found it necessary to share it in more explicit, x-rated ways.

Moving every few years was a real chore, but it was do-able, and gave everyone more to see of the New World as they traveled along the coastline.

The twins were really growing up now. They were teenagers. Still rambunctious, but less whiny, more witty, and stronger. Rin quickly understood what Sesshoumaru had meant when he said that it would be tense with two dominant dogs in the same house. Kuraimaru was already showing signs of obvious aggression towards Sesshoumaru—even resentment at times. They had never come close to throwing punches—yet. But it was going to come to that eventually.

Kuraimaru had learned, effectively, how to teleport short distances, what his capabilities were, and what his limits were. He could still force his emotions on to others, and it was dangerous when he and Sesshoumaru were in the same room. He really did look like a miniature version of Sesshoumaru. There was really only one real difference—his blood red eyes, so obviously inherited from his father, Naraku.

Shuarra Meitsuki looked a lot like Kagura, much to Naraku's dismay. She didn't act anything like her, but she did look a lot like her. Her power was much akin to Naraku's, as predicted, but at only a tenth, at most, his strength.

Rin was concerned about what would happen when Sesshoumaru and his son finally attacked each other. Sesshoumaru spent less and less time at home, but when he was home, he clearly established his "territory" in a show of power over Kuraimaru. Not that he ever struck him; he forced his aura at Kuraimaru, which was enough to temporarily subdue the younger dog youkai.

It wasn't going to last for long though. Rin saw that; Iria was preparing for the outcome; Naraku was concerned about Kuraimaru's welfare; Sesshoumaru was prepared; and even Shuarra Meitsuki was well aware of the goings-on.

The only thing no one knew yet was when it would finally happen.

Rin managed to find Sesshoumaru when he was coming home after being gone for almost a week. She was so worried about Kuraimaru's attitude that she had to ask him something. "Sesshoumaru-sama? What will you do when Kuraimaru challenges you?"

He glanced at her and frowned. "I will subdue him."

"You'll hurt him?" she demanded.

"Of course," he answered.

She frowned. "That's normal?"

"Perfectly."

Her frown deepened. "But, then… What if he keeps challenging you? What if… I don't know…"

He glanced at her. "If it comes to that, I will chase Kuraimaru away for a while, if he doesn't leave on his own."

"But…"

"It is normal amongst youkai, Rin," he informed her.

It may be normal, but she didn't like the idea. What if Kuraimaru never came back?

Shuarra Meitsuki's eyes shot open. Something was wrong. She climbed out of bed and wandered silently down the hall. There was movement in Kuraimaru's room. She opened the door and invited herself inside. Kuraimaru was apparently changing clothes, as he was half-naked when she walked in.

Completely unbothered by this, she closed the door and sat down at his desk. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

He grabbed his Western tunic and slipped it on. His slender fingers worked at buttoning it. "I'm leaving," he said flatly.

She blinked in surprise. "What? Why?"

He looked at her. "Sesshoumaru. I really don't want to fight with him. But if I stay for too much longer, I know I'm going to." He pulled on his coat and flicked his long silver hair back. It cascaded around his shoulders, glinting in the moonlight. "So, I can leave, or he can kick me out. I'd rather leave on good terms."

Shuarra Meitsuki looked like she might cry. "But… Kurai-kun… Can't you at least wait for morning?"

He shook his head. "If I do that, Rin will try to convince me to stay. I don't want to see her cry when I leave, so…"

His twin looked away. "But…"

"Shuarra…"

She looked at her twin pleadingly. "Kurai-kun! You're leaving us? You're leaving me?"  
He froze. They had never been separated—except as a punishment. He slowly turned away. He looked out the window. "We need to do things separately once in a while. Even though we're twins."

"But… I don't want…"

He looked back at her. "Mei-kun, how will we ever do anything in our lives if we are always together?"

"But, we've done everything together… It's never bothered you before."

He sighed. He opened the window, letting in a cool summer breeze that caressed his long locks. Shuarra Meitsuki shivered slightly. "That's not what's bothering me. I need to leave _alone_."  
"Why?" she cried.

He didn't look at her. "I just need to. Rin will be lonely if you come with me."

"But I'll worry about you!"  
"Be quiet. And you don't need to. I'll be okay."

She rose to her feet and began walking over to him. "I'm going with you," she said.

"No."

"Kuraimaru—"  
"No." He threw open the window and leaped outside. She saw him land down below and then disappear into the night. She rushed to the window ledge, squinting, trying to see him. She tried to look for his aura, but it was no good. She didn't know what to do. If she tried to follow him, he'd just run away. If she told Sesshoumaru, he wouldn't care. If she told Naraku, he wouldn't care because Sesshoumaru didn't care.

So, Shuarra Meitsuki did the next best thing; she ran in to Rin's room. She didn't even knock; she just threw open the door and burst in to tears.

"Kuraimaru left!" she wailed.

Rin's murky mind suddenly snapped to attention. She bolted upright. "What?"

She brushed away a tear, only to have it be replaced by another one. "He left. He's gone. He said that if he didn't, Sesshoumaru would kick him out. He said that… He said that… He didn't want me to go with him," she cried. The abandoned twin fell to her knees, all of this too much for her. She already felt like half of her—half of her soul, her mind, her spirit—was gone, running away into the dark of night.

Rin slowly slipped out of bed and tried to comfort her adopted sister. "It's okay. Kuraimaru is strong. He can take care of himself…"

"I know," Shuarra Meitsuki said quietly. "But he didn't want to bring me with him."

Kuraimaru was gone.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

_The Last?_

Shuarra Meitsuki didn't leave Kuraimaru's room for well over a week before Rin insisted that his bedding needed to be washed if she was going to continue sleeping on it. It was the first time that the younger youkai had ever snapped at her adopted older sister.

"No! You're not going to take it!" Shuarra's eyes had turned entirely red for an instant, before she realized how angry she had gotten. Her eyes softened back to gold. "I mean… No. That's not necessary. It's… fine."

Rin realized that the sight of her adopted sister getting so ferociously angry so quickly had frightened her. She swallowed a little. "I understand," she said quietly, turned, and left. She continued bringing meals up for her, but each time, she had to take away another untouched meal.

Three weeks passed since Kuraimaru's departure. Shuarra had not eaten and had not left his room—not once. When Rin was about ready to insist that Sesshoumaru and Naraku drag her forcefully from the room, she entered, not bothering to knock. Shuarra Meitsuki was floating inside a thick purple mist. Her body seemed incandescent. There was something wrong with her body. Something deeply, horribly wrong. Rin couldn't quite place it. There was something about the absolutely vile feeling in the air, the disturbing way the hair on the back of her neck rose. What was this?  
She closed the door immediately, and ran, desperately trying to find either Sesshoumaru or Naraku.

She almost ran right in to the latter. She wheeled to a stop. "Shuarra," she panted. "Something wrong."  
Naraku was gone in a heartbeat.

When Naraku threw open the door, he had been expecting something terrible. Upon seeing his daughter, he relaxed and shut the door. He was glad that Rin had come to him, even if it was not necessary, though.

Shuarra Meitsuki had gotten so upset that she had ruptured some kind of block on her demonic power. She was recreating her body, or at least, the power to do so was flowing through her.

It shouldn't be too much of a problem.

It hurt. But it didn't hurt. It was uncomfortable, but it was comfortable. It was unnerving, but strangely natural.

It was a lot like passing through babyhood to adolescence within the span of a few hours. Too much growth in too little time.

She felt like she had too much mass for her body, too solid. Heavier, but without visibly gaining a pound. How could she ever move again?

She wasn't sure what had brought it on. One minute, she had lying face-down on the floor miserably. The next, it was like something inside of her had woken up and taken over. She had been forced to sit back and watch, letting it run its course.

Kuraimaru looked up at the frozen sky. Damn, it was cold. For a desert, anyway.

Scorching hot in the day, freezing cold at night. He froze upon hearing the tell-tale sounds of a snake. He didn't want to get bitten out of clumsiness. He looked about for the snake and walked around it.

It was weird not having Shuarra Meitsuki around. Sort of peaceful too. They really needed to do more things by themselves, even though they were twins. Even twins should have different interests, different skills, and different life experiences.

She didn't realize that yet, but she would one day. He hoped. If not, she might, at best, not want anything to do with him any more for abandoning her like that. At worst, she would despise him for all eternity.

He hadn't wanted her to watch him leave. He wanted to be mysteriously gone when she awoke. That had been ruined by the twin psychic link—another invasion of his privacy via being a twin.

Well, he didn't really like being thought of as a "unit" anyway. They always called Kuraimaru and Shuarra Meitsuki "the twins." Well, how about listing them as individuals? If they had been ordinary siblings, they would have a sense of individuality. But that really wasn't what this was about.

He could not stand being near Sesshoumaru. He really couldn't. He knew that it was only the male dominant dog instincts going on, but that didn't change that every time he so much as smelled Sesshoumaru, he wanted to go at his throat. And _everything_ in that house had smelled like Sesshoumaru. Out here, so far away, he could breathe.

A gust of wind blew, getting sand in his long silver hair.

Albeit, if every breathe was filled with sand.

He shook his head slightly. He looked into the distance behind him. The sand seemed to go on forever behind him, but in front, it looked like it might end… eventually. He saw something far ahead of him that looked like it might be the end of the desert. He hoped so. He was getting weary of it, not to mention that he was utterly parched.

Well, he was almost a continent away from his family. Distance was really what he needed for a remedy.

In time, he could go back. Once he could stand Sesshoumaru's existence.

He didn't hate him though. No, he could never do that. It was merely his instincts to attack, kill, and conquer. Once he felt confident that he could rule those instincts, or he had his own established "territory" or family (not something he wanted any time soon), he could easily go back.

But he wasn't going to until then. It would be too hard.

Not that life on his own in the wilderness would not be difficult either.

He blinked sand from his eyes, irritated. He wasn't getting anywhere at this rate. He could either run through the rest of the way (not a wise decision with the terrain), or he could transform. That would be faster.

He chose the second option and loped off into the night like some kind of Japanese werewolf.

Not only was this easier and faster, it was a lot warmer too. Why hadn't he thought of this sooner?

He reflected on his life. He barely remembered Japan. Europe was easier to remember. But America… That was what he knew.

He could never consider himself "American"—his first language was Japanese, of course—but he definitely enjoyed this country. So much of it was so unpopulated, so easy for a youkai to live in.

He especially loved the Natives. He didn't speak any of their dialects well enough to say he could, but he liked their traditions, their ways of living, and—especially—their rituals. He had once chanced upon a ritual on his journey to the west coast. They were doing some kind of dance, playing instruments, and wearing costumes.

It was enthralling. He didn't know what they were saying, but it didn't matter; he understood the spiritual meaning. It was probably the only time he ever truly felt comfortable around a large group of humans. He had the idea that they knew he was present, too. But they didn't panic, and they made no move to acknowledge him. The ritual continued as if he were not there. But they knew he had been watching.

After all, the next morning, he found a freshly slain deer—an offering. He had accepted, naturally. After he had transformed and ate the deer, he found small things on the path, leading him out of the forest. The things he found told him to go left when he would have gone right, and downhill when he would have followed a stream. But the path that had been opened up for him did not stray him wrong.

He had never seen a single one of the tribe, but he could smell them all over the forest, watching him, in curiosity, reverence, and fear. But it wasn't the kind of fear he was used to. They had no intention or want to try to kill him. They worried about him killing them, of course, but retaliation would be unheard of. He was, after all, a youkai. And, while they called him by another name, he recognized the meaning. They knew, and it was okay that they knew.

He wondered if he would come across any more natives like that. The Europeans sure hated them, though. But he got the idea that they hated pretty much everyone, including themselves. They didn't have any problems putting thousands of women and cats to death for the sake of the church. They seemed to be all about death. Their religion preached some strange things, and killing others in the name of love was one of the strangest. But that was okay. The dead were probably reincarnated by now, and, if they deserved it, at peace in their new bodies.

He didn't like how the Europeans did that. He wondered if the European demons were like that too. Were there ever European demons? He would have liked to have met one, but they were probably all gone. So many of them were.

In fact, he hadn't seen another youkai, or even hanyou, in years. Not even in Europe, had they seen any kind of demon. It was strange. Were they all that was left?

The thought took a deep root in his brain. He couldn't shake the feeling, no matter what he did. The prospect of being the only ones left… was frightening.

He slowed down, to think more deeply about that.

It was entirely possible that he, Shuarra, Jaken, Iria, and Sesshoumaru were the only youkai left, considering how "many" they had seen. That would make Naraku, quite likely, the last hanyou.

That was a lonely feeling. He hoped it wasn't true. It would be too sad if it was. He didn't want to be the last of something. He didn't want to be a remnant of something that once made humankind tremble with fear, and now is whispered about in churches as almost mythical beings of evil.

Damn, did they have it wrong. Demons were living, breathing entities that required sustenance, sometimes companionship, sleep, and other basic needs. They had no interest in where one's soul is headed after death. They also had no interest in spiritually assailing a human just to torment him or her. If Kuraimaru was going to assail a human, it would be to eat them, not to cause torment and fear.

But… Was that the only way demons would exist? Through misguided stories? He sure hoped not.

After all, he was still here, and he had no intention of changing that.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

_Snow_

Kuraimaru forced his way onward. Hell, had he picked a horrible time to try to cross the mountain range. A blizzard was brewing. He needed to get out of it soon. His dog form could take this for a little longer, but it was not going to last him through the night. With all of his demonic abilities, it did almost no good whatsoever.

He couldn't see; couldn't smell, couldn't hear.

Everything was a blinding white, the scent of frozen water, and the howling of the wind.

The only real bonus was that he had some relief from the cold in his true form.

Humans called him a werewolf. He supposed it was better that than calling him a youkai. They at least were afraid enough of a werewolf to stay away. A youkai? Ha. They'd be chasing after him in an angry mob, crucifixes bared, torches ablaze, pitchforks ready. It was comical, actually.

He hadn't so much as seen another youkai since he had left Shuarra that night almost sixty years ago. There were whispers of real demons, but that was all they ever were—whispers.

Despite all of his searching, he couldn't find them. He was considering abandoning the New World and going back to the old in search of youkai. And dragons. They were all gone too.

But the important thing right now was making it through the night. One paw foreword, sniff. Nothing. Another brutally painful step. It was so cold. How could anything survive here?

Sniff. Nothing. He continued walking, forcing himself onward. He was getting kind of tired.

Maybe he should lie down. Just for a moment… He was so tired.

So… tired.

He realized that he had stopped moving. Good. It hurt to move.

His body was so numb that he wasn't feeling the cold so much anymore. He felt kind of warm, actually. That was strange. To be so warm in the middle of a blizzard.

He collapsed in the snow, white fur on white snow.

So tired.

He tried to keep his eyes open. He could rest, but sleeping out here was dangerous. If he ever woke up, he'd be buried.

Slowly, his eyes started closing. He forced them open. No. Had to stay awake.

Why?

He couldn't remember.

Something about dying if you fell asleep.

He closed his eyes.

He might die out here.

He didn't really give a damn.

It was just too cold. Too cold. Cold? No, it was warm. Warm…

He was too tired.

That was it. He was too tired to care. He had to go to sleep. He wouldn't make it like this.

He wouldn't make it if he lied in the snow either.

If he can't win either way, why bother?

Something hot hit him suddenly. Violently. His eyes snapped open. Burning fur. Pain on his right side.

He bolted upright suddenly, awake and ready to defend himself. His leg still burned from the attack. What could have possibly done that?

_Shuarra Meitsuki?_

No, it couldn't be her. She wouldn't be up here. Still, he couldn't help but hope it was his little sister.

He sniffed the air. Something new picked up.

No, not Shuarra Meitsuki. Not Naraku either, and definitely not Sesshoumaru. Not Jaken either. Not Iria.

Was this…? Could it possibly be another youkai? That it was attacking him was rather disappointing though.

Something landed. He could feel it. He couldn't see it; the snow was too thick, but he could sure as hell smell it. It had a distinct reptilian scent, mixed with something like charcoal and ash. "I'm sorry; I didn't know any other way to wake you. Come with me," it yelled above the wind. He had to strain to hear the words, let alone the voice.

"I can't see you," Kuraimaru responded.

"I'll stay upwind of you. You can track me, can't you?"

"I can."

No more words were said. He followed the youkai. If it had intended to eat him, it could have by now. His flesh was already healing from the burn.

He forced himself to keep walking, even when his body protested the movement. Even when his every desire was to go to sleep, he refused. He couldn't do that. Not right now. He could do that later. Much later—when it was safe to do so.

The scent suddenly vanished. He froze. Scents did _not_ vanish. If it could fly and suddenly lifted off, it would leave a lingering scent. So, something had happened, or possibly… He shook it off and continued in the direction he had been headed, nose to the ground trying to follow the elusive and fading scent.

He had walked right into a cave that smell predominantly of the creature. He went back further, where it had disappeared. Into the depths of the cave, there was light. It looked like a fire. He was suddenly joyous at the sight of it.

He trotted over to it and laid down before it without looking at his new host. Finally, he looked at the creature.

Well, damn.

It was probably just a bit larger than him, with no distinguishable gender. Its scales were a crimson red. Its claws were black, its eyes a deeper, darker red.

It was a European dragon.

It folded its wings against itself, and twitched its head, carefully shaking off the water droplets that had collected on its scales.

"Isn't it a bit cold for a lizard?" he wondered.

It looked at him. "Not when that lizard is half furnace." It had an accent that he distinguished as being English, so it was probably from England. It came as a bit of a shock, really.

An English, European dragon. A real one. Possibly the last of its kind.

Shuarra Meitsuki had slowly gotten over her brother's departure. It had taken her two years, but she no longer lived in his room. She still slept in there on occasion, but it was a lot easier now.

Sesshoumaru and Naraku noticed that something about her—no, everything about her—had changed dramatically since her brother left. She didn't get in to trouble very much. She obeyed usually. She was respectful.

But she didn't laugh as much. She didn't want to do any more crazy things. She wasn't as cheerful.

It was disheartening, and everyone tried to get her back to normal. But after five years passed, everyone just gave up. What else could they do? That had been a long time ago, it seemed.

Shuarra Meitsuki couldn't help but feel guilty about not being able to be as happy as she used to be, but she just felt… Like something was missing. Gone. Like her intestines had suddenly vanished or something. It just felt wrong. It felt lonely.

Her best friend was gone.

"How long has he been gone?" Sesshoumaru wondered before going off to sleep.

Naraku looked at him, trying to gauge the exact length of time. Time was usually lost on Sesshoumaru. "Almost sixty years."

The dog sighed softly. "Shuarra Meitsuki will never be the same again."

Naraku shook his head in agreement. "No. She won't. Time has already taken its toll." He looked out the open window with remorse. "The Shuarra Meitsuki we used to know is probably already gone. If Kuraimaru came back tonight, I don't think that she would recover completely."

Sesshoumaru looked at Naraku. "You're worried that she's going to die, aren't you." It wasn't even a question.

Naraku didn't say anything for a while, but, finally, he voiced his answer. "Yes. Youkai usually die if they lose interest in being alive. Sometimes, I wonder if that wouldn't be the best thing for her."

Sesshoumaru didn't respond. He knew it was probably true.

The way she looked out the windows, staring at nothing in particular—sometimes for hours. She ate little. She spoke little. She slept often, but it was as if that was all she ever did—trying to reclaim some dream where her twin existed, as if that was, quite possibly, the only place he was alive.

For all they knew… It was true.

Kuraimaru used to write them letters. They wouldn't come too often, but he would write them. Sometimes, it was four times yearly, sometimes, less. Even when they moved, the letters kept coming. But, slowly, the letters stopped coming. Those letters, for a long time, were all that held Shuarra together. When they stopped coming, it had shattered her spirit a second time.

She had read and reread those old letters, read the ink right off of the page. But there was no hint, no clue, that he was going away. Not a single trace of a word where he might have hinted at leaving the New World, or venturing out of reach.

"If Kuraimaru really is dead," Sesshoumaru said carefully. "It would be the best thing for her to die."

They had no way of knowing if he was really dead or alive. Only Shuarra Meitsuki insisted that he was not. Even after over twenty years of not even a word, a letter, not even a rumour of a huge white dog roaming the countryside, she refused to believe that he was dead. Sesshoumaru was the first to accept that his son was quite probably dead. Naraku, slowly, against his well, accepted that too. Iria realized the possibility as well. In time, even Rin relented and accepted that he may be dead.

But Shuarra Meitsuki did not.

They couldn't say for sure any more whether it was a twin's intuition, or a desperate desire to believe that he was alive.

No one wanted to know if it were one or the other.


	29. Chapter 29

I'm so sorry that this one took so long! Midterms are coming up, roommate trouble, boys, work… Y'know…

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

_Kaida_

Kuraimaru opened his eyes slowly. He assumed that he had fallen asleep, which was logical—he had been utterly exhausted. He looked around. He was still seeing through his dog form's eyes. He slowly rose, stretching, and changed back into his humanoid form. It was more convenient anyway.

He sniffed the air. He couldn't hear the wind anymore, and the smell was that of damp rocks and… something alive. He could hear slight movement. He assumed that it was breathing, but it didn't sound like a dragon.

"The storm has passed," a voice said in a distinctly English accent. "It's safe to go out now."

He turned around. But it wasn't a dragon he was looking at.

An European girl, a bit older than him, with red hair and deep red eyes, and a slight but strong build was what he found himself looking at. She was wearing European clothing—but it wasn't expensive, it was more of peasant clothing, actually, albeit it looked new. But, the expensive European clothing would do her no good. It would get in the way, and do nothing for her figure. "Is that your other form, then?"

She shrugged one shoulder. "This is how I appear to myself, and so I chose it."

He frowned. "You can choose how you appear?"

She nodded slightly. "Because I hatched in my dragon form and had no definite humanoid form, I can choose how it looks. This is just how I see myself."

Well, she picked a good one. "I see." He combed a hand through his long hair absently. "I suppose I shall be going then." He bowed slightly—a nod of the head. "Thank you. If there is any way that I can repay you, please say so."

The cave was plenty wide enough, but the fact that she stood in his way—quite deliberately—made him pause before exiting. "What's your name?"

"Kuraimaru."

She nodded slightly. "Kurai… maru?"

"Yes."

"What does that mean?"

He had never met someone who had asked him that before. Of course, most Europeans regarded him with a bit of racism, and his family already knew. And, of course, he had never met anyone that he felt like socializing himself with. "It means 'nobility,' and 'dark perfection.'"

She looked thoughtful. "That sounds sort of… almost romantic, in a dark kind of way."

"Indeed. I told you my name. I think it would only be fitting for you to tell me yours."

She laughed. "I'd tell you it, if I had one. But I don't."

He hadn't been expecting that. He paused, looking at her. "How is that possible?"

She shrugged one shoulder. "My parents died before I had hatched. I'm pretty sure the Catholic Church killed them off or something." She cocked her head slightly to one side. "So, considering that I grew up by myself, I didn't really need a name."

Somehow, that seemed sad. To be nameless. It made _sense_ but it still seemed… distressing. Suddenly, he smiled. "Then I'll call you 'Kaida.'"

She blinked slowly. "Kaida? What's it mean?"  
He felt his smile widen a little at the puzzled look on his face. "'Little dragon.'"

Gradually, a smile graced her fair features. "'Kaida.' Kaida." She looked sort of content. "I like that." He realized that she was blushing behind her red hair. It was cute, really. Childish, perhaps. But really cute.

He looked around the cave. It was rather barren. "Do you live here?"

"Right now, I do," she said. She glanced out the entrance. "Though I've been considering flying back to England. I'd like to see London again."

Kuraimaru nodded. For some reason, he wanted to go too. He'd spent too long in America. He started to ignore the thought and leave without her, but then he stopped. "Can I go with you?"

She looked at him, a bit shocked to hear those words. "What?"

"I've spent too long in America, and traveling by myself is boring. So would it be all right if I went with you?"

She blushed again, but overcame it quickly. "Try not to slow me down too much."

"I can try," he promised. He walked out of the cave and looked around. Everything was covered in snow. If the sun wasn't in the sky, he'd have no idea as to where he should even begin. He glanced back at Kaida. "What's the fastest way out of these mountains?"

"To fly," she answered. She looked at him sidelong. "In all reality, it's probably the safest way out too." She looked around again. "Considering that the risk of avalanches and storms." She walked out in to the open. "Some of the storms can last for weeks. We were lucky."  
"Indeed."

"Shall we go?" she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she transformed back into the first form he had seen her in. Comparing her two forms like that was strange. Most youkai had similarities between each form—enough to look the same anyway. The only real similarity was her hair and eye colour. No markings or anything. "What are you looking at?"

He blinked. He hadn't realized that he had been staring. "I was merely contemplating how it might be possible for me to keep up with you; I can't fly quite yet."

She opened her mouth partway and made a deep growling noise. It took him a moment to realize that she was laughing. She took a step toward him, effectively closing the distance between them. She lowered her head down to his level. It was kind of intimidating. She could swallow him without the need to chew. He was glad that she had chosen to save him instead of picking a fight with him. He would probably have lost.

She turned her body, lowered her neck and shoulders primarily. Understanding downed on Kuraimaru and he climbed on to the base of her neck—the one place that seemed blessedly free of spikes. He hung on as she launched into the air. Luckily, Kaida knew exactly where she was going and they were free of the mountain range within two hours' time.

European dragons were a lot different than the Eastern in many ways. Eastern dragons sort of floated. The European ones flew by their own strength and willpower, and it was more of a strain. It was interesting watching her. She made it look so effortless, but he could literally feel every muscle in her body working to keep her in the air.

Once they were free of the mountain range and the weather became a bit more reasonable, she landed in a large enough space. He slid off of her neck. She stretched a little. "I'm going hunting," she said.

"Enjoy yourself."

"Of course. Shall I bring you back anything?"

He shook his head slightly. "No."

"Very well." She took off again and soon disappeared, leaving him standing in the middle of the clearing. He stretched. He had been sitting still for too long. Slowly, he sat down and finally laid down on the cool, fresh grass. He inhaled their distinct scent, savoring it. He could smell pine trees somewhere. He could smell water too. He assumed that it was a pond because he didn't hear it moving, but he could hear the fish occasionally jump out of the water. A wind blew down from the mountains and caused the trees to stir their branches. He liked the sound. It was calming. If he listened closely enough, he could hear a family of rabbits somewhere in the forest. An animal that sounded like a deer from its movements was somewhere else.

He looked up at sky. A hawk was circling overhead. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It was nice to relax and enjoy the scenery sometimes, particularly when it was so lovely.

Slowly, he allowed himself to drift off in to what became a peaceful slumber. He didn't dream, and that was fine. When he did, it was usually something depressing, like Shuarra Meitsuki screaming for Kuraimaru to stay. He dreamed about her a lot. It made him wonder if she was really all right, or if she was trying to call out to him somewhere, because she was miserable.

He wished he knew.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

_Recovery_

It happened completely by accident. Kuraimaru had really had no intention of running in to her. But it happened. He hadn't known it was her, and he just bumped in to her.

It was Shuarra Meitsuki. Of that, he was certain. She just froze upon seeing him. Not moving, not even breathing nor blinking. Rin was the next one to notice him.

She tossed aside all formalities and threw her arms around her adopted younger sibling. Kaida frowned, looking from one to the other. Still, Shuarra didn't move.

"Kuraimaru! It's you, isn't it? We haven't seen or even heard from you in _years_!" Rin exclaimed.

He smiled, a little awkwardly. What was wrong with Shuarra Meitsuki? "I apologize. I wasn't in a place where I could write you."

Rin finally pulled away. She glanced at Kaida. "Who's this?"

He looked at the dragon, then back at Rin and his twin. "This is Kaida. We met up in the mountains during a blizzard…" His voice trailed off. Rin seemed to understand. She quickly ushered everyone away from the hustle and bustle of the docks. Soon, she was leading the way back to their manor. Shuarra Meitsuki fell in to step behind everyone else. It troubled her twin to see her like that. It just wasn't the Shuarra Meitsuki he knew. Her personality was all wrong.

He introduced Kaida to Rin and Shuarra Meitsuki and explained in brief his relationship with each and how it was that Rin was basically immortal to Kaida.

He explained how he had met Kaida, and they talked for a while about his wanderings. What he really wanted to know, though, was how everyone else was.

"How's everyone?" he said.

Rin shrugged one shoulder. "Same. I think Sesshoumaru-sama and Naraku-san are going to be coming back from England today. Kuraimaru, why don't you stay for a while? You haven't been home in so long and everything…"

He glanced back at Shuarra. "Yes, perhaps."

She hadn't said a word to him. Not a single word. It was so… wrong. He had always envisioned he and Shuarra's reunion as being very loud and joyful. It was so wrong.

Shuarra should have been bouncing off the walls, shouting exclamations, hugging him, badgering him with questions. Instead, she was somber and quiet. It was unnatural; acceptable, but quite unnatural—like a flower blooming out of season.

It ended up that the ship was late. But it was okay. He was given a guest room, and Kaida was given one as well. She felt awkward about it; he could tell. She had never stayed indoors before.

Still, his sister was as silent as he had ever seen her. It worried him. Was this the affect of his long absence?

Sesshoumaru slowly drug himself back from his thoughts. Continuing to stare out of the window, he asked, "Do you ever wonder about what became of our son?"

Naraku paused, considering the answer as well as his choice of words. "At times."

"I have been considering it," Sesshoumaru said slowly. "It may be best if we try to track him down. For Shuarra Meitsuki's sake mostly."

Naraku closed his eyes, enjoying the large Western style bed. "Indeed. Tracking one renegade dog should be easy."

"Don't be so certain of that. He is our son. Weren't we difficult to find once?"

The spider sighed and nodded. "True. When the world seemed larger."

"I miss those times," Sesshoumaru admitted quietly. Naraku heard him. He turned to look at his lover. "I regret them ever passing me by at times."

"As do I, my love."

Sesshoumaru finally looked away from the stars above. His golden gaze landed on Naraku. "I miss the battle of that era as well. The way you and I fought. Inuyasha, too."

Naraku opened his eyes. "Sesshoumaru. There's no one left for you to fight any more."

He looked somber about this. "Yes, I know." The only one truly left was Kuraimaru. He didn't really have the heart to kill the kid, even if Kuraimaru might want to kill him. He sighed. The world certainly was growing dull. He was getting restless. He needed something new. Something interesting. For a while, the New World had sufficed. The travel was enjoyable. But now… Now, it felt like he had seen everything there was on this earth worth seeing. And, despite that there was nothing left of this world for him, he was still here. He felt sort of out of place when he thought about it.

He glanced back at Naraku. No, there was still something left in this world for him. There was Rin, too. She would always be there, it seemed. He knew that the odds of him outliving Shuarra Meitsuki right now were fairly high, and Kuraimaru might be dead already. No use including them in that list, though it seemed cruel.

"Do you ever consider that this world is rotting?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly.

"Rotting?"

He looked back out the window again. "Yes. Rotting. There used to be so much to it. Now, it seems that humans have become the dominant specie. They are advancing technologically, but it's not interesting. It's making this earth rot." There was no other way to describe it. All the magic, the mysticism, the spiritual power… everything just disintegrated and became nothing, lost in the winds of time forever. Sometimes, he wondered if he was supposed to have died years ago. Maybe… But he certainly didn't belong here any more.

"I understand what you mean, Sesshoumaru. But it doesn't mean it's rotting. It's just changing, and you don't like it."

He sighed. That was true too. "Do we really still belong here?"

"What do you mean?"

He considered his words carefully. "Youkai. Do we still have a place here? We're certainly considered nonexistent anyway. It merely seems as though…"  
He felt Naraku's hands resting on his shoulders. When had he gotten out of bed? "You're wrong," Naraku said. "It doesn't matter if we do or don't have a place here. We're here."

Sesshoumaru leaned back against his chest, closing his eyes. That was true too. They were here. That was truly what mattered. But it didn't change one simple fact. "The world is becoming dull," Sesshoumaru muttered.

Naraku, to his surprise, laughed. "I think I would like to see where this technology takes this world. Yet you think that this world is boring." He leaned down and kissed his lover. "Let's make it just a little more interesting. If for just a while."

Of course, Sesshoumaru could never say no to _that_.

Maybe, it was because he was so hopelessly in love. Lust? Hah. That had passed quite a while ago. It was true, he desired him sexually. However, lust was far past him now. Lust was a raw, almost loveless passion infused with sex. Desire was passion to the depths of the soul, love to the far-reaches of the heart, and yearning beyond the limits of the body.

Not to say that he absolutely no longer fell victim to the plague of lust. That hounded him too. But mostly, it was that burning desire.

It never seemed to matter how many times it happened. It never became routine, and it never got boring. It always merely seemed to happen.

Sweat. Gasping. Pants. Ragged breathing. Sighs. Screams. Moans. Claws, blood. Pale flesh on darker skin. Dark hair tangling with silver.

The movement had a special rhythm, in time with the other sounds like a small symphony.

One scream rose like a solo, then was slowly drowned by the chorus of sighs and moans.

Finally, came the apex. One last groan, one last thrust. Done over. The sounds of the night see splashing against the ship created the applause of the audience.

Sesshoumaru was already falling asleep before Naraku had even lain down beside him. "I love you," Sesshoumaru said, very quietly. So quietly, that even Naraku had to strain to hear it. But he did. It was enough.

During the night before, Sesshoumaru had come to a decision. He was going to use the Sacred Jewel. One last time.

He felt like, maybe, he should feel saddened, or depressed. But, it was for Naraku. So instead of being depressed… he felt strangely at peace. Content. Even glad to be doing something like that for another.

It was strange, but pleasant. When was the question. When…?

As soon as possible, he supposed. Rin had the Sacred Jewel. He would get it from her when they got back, and then…

He smiled softly to himself. Then…

Maybe life would get a little more interesting.

Kuraimaru sniffed the air. That was him. Sesshoumaru. He could already smell him. He moved so that he would be downwind of him when he arrived in the courtyard. The gate opened. Naraku and Sesshoumaru entered. Sesshoumaru paused and looked around, sniffing the air. He turned and looked directly at Kuraimaru.

The younger dog sighed. He had suspected as much. "Hello," he said, walking up to them.

"How long have you been here?" Naraku wondered.

"Yesterday."

"So you've spoken with Rin and Shuarra Meitsuki?"

He nodded, still troubled about Shuarra. Right now, Kaida was getting to know his family. It was kind of nice, actually, that she would do that. He didn't know why he felt happy that they got along. It wasn't really like it particularly mattered or anything… "Yes. Shuarra-kun… Troubles me. No, her disposition troubles me."

"It troubles all of us," Sesshoumaru assured him.

Kuraimaru fell in to step with his parents. "It slipped my mind yesterday, but whatever happened to Iria and Jaken?"

Sesshoumaru, as usual, showed no emotion as he spoke. "Jaken passed away four years ago. Iria left us to study medicine in England a year later."

He wasn't quite sure what to think of all of that. Jaken was dead, huh? Well, that little imp had been fairly old. Not to mention the beatings he usually took. Losing Iria was a shame, though. He had been looking forward to seeing her. Maybe when he and Kaida went to England, he would locate her and see how she was doing.

Shuarra Meitsuki suddenly appeared at the door. The look on her face made all three of them freeze in their steps.

She was smiling. She wore a smile as if her twin had never left. As if her years of depression had never occurred.

"It wasn't a dream," she whispered. The next thing Kuraimaru knew, he was staring up at the sky, with his twin's arms wrapped around him in a vice grip. His head hurt from the fall, his arms were going numb, and there was a rock digging in to his back, but this was preferable.

Shuarra Meitsuki sat up, sitting on his stomach. He was about to say something to her when she slapped him. Hard. Not like the punches she used to throw when they were younger, either. This one was going to leave a bruise. His cheek already stung. He looked at her and was about to protest again when she punched his other cheek. "Never do that again!" she reprimanded.

Despite the pain, he laughed. It felt really good to do that. She laughed with him. It felt even better to see her laughing too. "I won't," he promised her. "I swear to you that I will not."

"Good," she said. She got off of him. He climbed to his feet, brushing off the dirt. "Now come inside. We have a few years of catching up to do." The younger twin hauled her older brother inside as if he weighed naught but a feather, so eager was she to speak with him.

Sesshoumaru and Naraku were speechless.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty-One**

_Perfect_

Shuarra, not going to let her twin out of her sight, and definitely not willing to let him leave for hell knows how long without her, was coming with him and Kaida. She didn't give them any other options.

Rin stood at the dock, waving goodbye to them as they sailed away on the ship. Sesshoumaru and Naraku were back farther in the crowd, somehow blending in perfectly with the humans, never even receiving a passing glance. It was amazing how time could blur out the existence of an entire race. No one recognized them anymore, it seemed.

Kuraimaru knew better.

There were a few peoples in the world yet who could see him for what he was. The natives here, for one--though they called him by a word he wasn't familiar with. But they weren't really afraid of him. They feared him, but not so much as to attack out of fear, as humans had so often in the past. They regarded him with an aloof reverence, if that was possible. It was the best term he could give to it.

The crossing to England was relatively dull and uneventful. England itself was a bit more interesting, especially with Kaida as a guide. She showed them places they never would have seen on their own, including ancient hunting grounds of dragons, and the nesting caves nearby there. It seemed hollow, though, without the dragons occupying them. It was devoid of the life that once filled it--like walking in to a ruin of a palace with ancient memories of grandeur.

Slowly, taking their time to enjoy the sights, the sounds, the cultures, they made it across Europe, in to Asia, ending in Japan.

Because they had been so young when they had left, it was difficult for either Kuraimaru or Shuarra Meitsuki to really remember what it had been like when they were children. Still, it seemed pleasant enough. The clothing—that was familiar. Traditions were also familiar. Comfortable. They had, after all, been raised with Japanese traditions, despite that they had spent most of their lives elsewhere.

They had heard from Sesshoumaru and Naraku about what it had been like when they were born. Rin sometimes had told them stories about it too—about what it had been like when youkai, magic, and spells were still in the world. It all seemed like a fairytale, honestly.

Kaida was only too happy to learn anything she could about their homeland. She had been eager enough to share hers.

The specific place they were in search of was the site they had been born. The castle itself probably no longer existed, but they still wanted to see the place. Of course, they knew little about it other than that it was in Japan, and to the west.

With such little information, the only logical course of action was, of course, to go comb the western-most parts of Japan and look for anything that might seem familiar. Or, if they were lucky, to see the castle.

The front door burst open. Sesshoumaru flinched at the loud, booming sound of the door slamming against the wall, ricocheting back, and then Rin slamming it shut. Naraku was unbothered. He and Rin were "blessed" with hearing that was not nearly as sensitive as was his.

He listened to her run in to the sun room, where he and Naraku were having an afternoon tea.

She had an off-white envelope clutched in her hand like a prize. "It came!"

"What came?" Naraku wondered, not sounding like he particularly cared.

Rin ignored his tone of voice and forged ahead. "It's from Kurai-kun and Shuarra-kun!"

"Open it," Sesshoumaru advised.

She was already one step ahead of him, for she was tearing it open even as she sat down at the table with them. She tore the letter from its paper packaging and unfolded it. It was in perfect Kanji script, which meant Kuraimaru wrote it. Shuarra Meitsuki's handwriting was illegible, no matter which language she wrote in.

Rin's mind scrambled to remember what it all meant. She had been using English for so long that she worried that she might not remember Kanji. Of course, she saw the figure for her name and it blessedly all came back to her, just in time to save face. Wonderfully, the Japanese language came back too, so she had no messy translations to make. "'Naraku, Sesshoumaru, and Rin.' We arrived in Japan without incident. It's amazing that no one recognized a youkai any more, from the stories you all have told to us. It's a shame too. We are going in search of Sesshoumaru's old castle. If the castle itself is no longer there, we would like to see the site at least. Kaida is pleased to be here, and I think she is enjoying herself. Shuarra Meitsuki is being her usual cheery self, though I fear that she may provoke the local government, considering her badgering ways.'" Rin broke off to laugh. She could only imagine what Shuarra was doing to pester the humans there. Probably just being herself. "'Shuarra Meitsuki has also decided that her hair should be bright blue for this trip, and is drawing much unneeded attention to herself. I am planning on 'convincing' her to change it back to black some time after I write this letter.'" Rin laughed again. Which probably meant a few threats to Shuarra's well-being. "'As for myself, I'm quite enjoying the time we've spent in Japan so far. We are considering retracing our first passage back to Europe—probably flying instead of taking a ship though. I'll write again once anything of interest happens.'" Rin rolled her eyes at that. Kuraimaru's interest was rarely piqued—just like Sesshoumaru's. It was signed by each of them—Kuraimaru in his perfect script, Shuarra's illegible figures, only identifiable by how bad the writing was, and Kaida's, which looked like Kuraimaru had been guiding her hand as she wrote.

"It seems like they've been busy," Naraku commented.

Rin glanced at the signatures again, musing over the last one. Kuraimaru and Kaida were getting close. She smiled at that. Maybe if he settled down, they could be a normal-ish family again. "They're having fun anyway. It would be nice to see Japan again," she said wistfully.

Sesshoumaru glanced at Naraku. "I was contemplating taking another trip there. Rin, why don't you come with us?"

Rin suddenly perked up. "Could we meet up with the twins and Kaida?"

"I was planning on it."

The human suddenly looked excited. "When are we leaving?"

"When can you be ready?"

"As soon as you can book our passage," she promised.

Sesshoumaru stood up and moved to a shelf. He removed something out of a small wooden box on the shelf, holding three tickets. "Can you be ready by tomorrow evening?"

Rin was immediately off to pack without another word.

Naraku and Sesshoumaru, of course, had already packed for the trip.

"You realize of course that we aren't going to have time or probably opportunity for quite a while," the hanyou reminded his youkai lover.

Sesshoumaru leaned forward and kissed him. Naraku could himself on Sesshoumaru's perfectly sculpted lips. He didn't hate it, but he couldn't say it was a pleasant taste. It was more that that taste was on Sesshoumaru's lips that made it pleasant. The dog pulled away. "Which is why tonight has to make up for it—it has to be perfect." He forced Naraku in to a deep kiss. His claws embedded in the spider's shoulder. He tugged softly at the exposed wound, pulled Naraku down. They pulled away. Naraku's hair had somehow all fallen on one side, exposing half of his face to the moonlight streaming in from the open window.

"How could it?" Naraku kissed Sesshoumaru again. "Especially when every moment with you is perfect?"

Sesshoumaru wasn't sure if he liked or disliked it when he said things like that. He chose not to respond and kissed him again, wrapping his legs around Naraku's waist.

It was more that he wasn't sure how to respond to anything romantic like that. Was he supposed to be happy? Or think it was stupid? He really had mixed feelings—both on how to respond, and that he was pleased that Naraku would feel that way, and that he thought to say it like that was sort of stupid.

Naraku pulled away from his lips. He kissed his neck and slow left trailing kisses all the way down his chest. He moved back to his nipple and teased the taught nipple with his teeth. Sesshoumaru was beginning to get impatient.

Naraku teased him a bit longer—just as long as he knew he could get away with—and moved in to position. Sesshoumaru was already on his back with his legs wrapped around him, so it might as well be this one. The dog was already prepared for him. He liked to watch Sesshoumaru's divine face as he entered. That brief flash of pain, followed by arousal, followed by small pants and gasps that eventually led to screams and moans. There would be pain or discomfort for the first two or three thrusts, then that would change. The change would be almost instantaneous, especially if he hit that special area deep inside of him.

Everything happened exactly as Naraku predicted. It was strange that he never really seemed to tire of doing this, even after so many decades had gone by. It somehow just never got boring.

Of course… With a partner as gorgeous, as beautiful, as _perfect_ as Sesshoumaru, that was easy to believe.

First that position, then Naraku's leg started cramping. It happened sometimes. Same position too long and all that—they both had worked up to a fairly high stamina, so that sort of thing happened. He pulled out and, without warning, flipped Sesshoumaru on to his stomach with a tentacle that immediately snapped back into his back. He grabbed a hold of the youkai's hips and pushed back in to him. Sesshoumaru moaned. This was a favorite position. It somehow hit all the right places perfectly… Which was why it didn't last too much longer.

Naraku could feel it coming to an end.

Sesshoumaru gasped. "Naraku… I'm going to…" He could complete his sentence.

"Can you wait? Just another minute."

Sesshoumaru sort of nodded. It might have been a nod. Hard to tell, considering all of his panting, moaning, pushing, rocking, and so on. Apparently, it was, because he managed to hold off for another minute. It was just enough time. Naraku pulled out and rolled Sesshoumaru on to his back. His took himself in one hand and Sesshoumaru in his mouth. Now _that_ felt amazing. He felt himself release, the fluid flowing over his hand. Sesshoumaru gladly did the same. Naraku swallowed every drop of it. He looked at his lover.

"Was that good enough for you?"

Sesshoumaru reached up, kissed Naraku, and pulled him down beside him.

Apparently, it had been.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

_Kareishikyo_

Because Sesshoumaru, Naraku, and Rin never told their children/adopted siblings/acquaintance that they were coming to meet them, it was a huge surprise for them when they flew down beside them as they traveled.

Shuarra Meitsuki looked shocked, but delighted; she gave the three hugs upon seeing them. Kaida was pleasantly surprised; she greeted them and asked about their journey to Japan. Kuraimaru, as usual, merely raised an eyebrow to convey his surprise and said and did nothing.

After a brief reunion, the mostly family set out to find the location of the old castle, Sesshoumaru being the one to lead the expedition. With Sesshoumaru, it took a lot shorter time than it would have otherwise. The twins were relying on their vague memories and searching for any traces of a demonic aura without any luck. The dog demon, however, practically lead them straight to it, his memory in pristine condition, and, despite how the landscape had naturally changed since their departure, his sense of smell and direction undistorted.

The palace itself was no longer there. In its place, there was nothing other than trees. The twins wandered around the area freely. Sometimes, a memory would trigger. Other times, they recognized the place right away, though it had changed. Kaida and Rin prepared lunch, as it was about that time. Naraku and Sesshoumaru walked away in silence, each considering their memories and how long it had been since they had made the decision to leave.

Sesshoumaru stopped suddenly, standing amidst the wild cherry trees. He had no doubt that they were descendants of the old garden. There were no blossoms at this time of year, though. He leaned against one particularly large one, gazing up at the branches, bearing little fruit, as the birds had picked them nearly clean.

"Let's not leave Japan again," Sesshoumaru said. "Let's abandon the house in America and stay here."

Naraku glanced up, where Sesshoumaru was looking. He was watching two small birds—he didn't know what kind—trying to get to a particularly difficult to reach cherry. "I wouldn't mind that. It would be nice to stay home for a while."

"I agree," Sesshoumaru said. He listened in the distance to Kuraimaru and Shuarra, then again to Rin and Kaida talking. "Kuraimaru seems to like Kaida."

"Does that bother you?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head once. "No."

"She is European."

He looked upwards again. "That sort of thing doesn't bother me. She's still a youkai. That she's a different breed makes little difference." He paused for a moment. "I had been hoping that he might choose Rin though."

Naraku frowned. "Rin?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "She needs someone. And so does he."

"I don't think Rin really 'needs' anyone. She's never lacking. Maybe one day, but let her be for now."

"You're probably right."

"I am."

He looked around. "Let's stay here. Rebuild the palace."

Naraku considered that, and then immediately abolished the very thought. Humans wouldn't just accept the palace being here—not in this day and age. "Let's make it a bit less conspicuous."

Sesshoumaru smiled a little—just enough to call it a smile. "Very well. But something similar, perhaps on a smaller scale." He already had some ideas. He had so liked the large French double doors, and the European beds were a great idea…

It had taken a long time using human laborers, but they had managed to get it done in a few years' time. Sesshoumaru had wanted the palace to be something real, and not a very real illusion, so they had to stay in a human city while they waited. It wasn't a big deal any more. The strangeness of coexisting had ceased to be strange. It was simply normal.

At any rate, after construction was complete and it was furnished appropriately, and as close to what it had been so very long ago, they moved in. Kaida disappeared from time to time around the move, not sure if she should really be going with them or not. Shuarra and Rin were a little bit concerned that she might travel back to Europe or America, but she apparently stayed around Japan, because she was never gone for more than a couple days at a time. Kuraimaru, however, was not concerned in the least—either because he knew her well enough to know that she wasn't really going anywhere, or because he truly was unconcerned about the issue. It was difficult to say with him.

Naturally, Naraku and Sesshoumaru didn't care one way or another.

There was still a fair bit of tension between Sesshoumaru and Kuraimaru. Any time that it got to the point where the younger of the two might attack, though, Kuraimaru went away. He would sometimes disappear for up to a week. Shuarra Meitsuki, when he did that, was terrified that he might decide to not come back again. However, her fears were always laid to rest when he returned with an apology to her.

Rin and Kaida got along well, and Rin was teaching her Japanese in their spare time. Kaida learned quickly. When Rin spoke about how it had been when she had first met Sesshoumaru, Kaida listened with rapt attention and, in turn, spoke about what it had been like in Europe.

Apparently, as suspected, the demons in Europe had been eradicated, or fled to lesser-known parts of the world. Mostly, they suspected, they were just disappearing. Ceasing to exist in a world where myths and legends were slowly dying all around.

Shuarra Meitsuki had Naraku's uncanny ability to make copies of herself. Which she did—frequently, to the annoyance of all. Shuarra, not being powerful, made fairly weak copies, so the issue of runaways or nuisances were minimal. Still, everyone would have liked it if she didn't do it so often.

One morning, she came down the stairs with a miniature version of herself that fit in her palm. It was annoying and too cheerful.

Sesshoumaru and Naraku left on an expedition to the mainland and came back a couple of weeks later.

When both Kaida and Kuraimaru had met them by the front gate, trying to stall them coming back inside, they knew something had gone terribly wrong. So, ignoring the two, they held their breath and went inside.

The sight made Sesshoumaru and Naraku stare in mute horror. There appeared to be twelve Shuarra Meitsuki-s. However, upon closer scrutiny, there were actually thirteen. There was a six-inch tall chibi version standing on the original's shoulder—still alive and well, much to the annoyance of all. Six of the copies were attending to Shuarra and Rin as if they were princesses—fanning them, filing nails, brushing hair, getting them drinks, and such.

One of the remaining six was running around the living room dusting, in a French maid's uniform. Another of them was face-down on the floor, sobbing softly. Another one was being chased about the living room by an angry-looking one with a hammer. One of the remaining two was going through bank statements, checks, and the like while simultaneously reading the newspaper about the current stock market.

Shuarra Meitsuki grinned and rushed over to her parents. "Hello! Welcome home! Did you enjoy your trip?"

"Welcome-welcome! Yay!" the chibi one cried, dancing around in a joyous circle. "You have arrived home safely! Hooray!"

The one lying on the floor sobbing looked up, then resumed sobbing. The angry one and the one trying not to get obliterated by the hammer froze in place upon seeing the murderous look in the parents' eyes.

"You destroyed the house when we were gone, didn't you?" Sesshoumaru demanded.

Shuarra laughed nervously. "Well, it's okay. Because we fixed it at minimum cost to you! Everything is as good as new—better! Because now there are some improvements, and all the furniture is new or dry cleaned, and—"  
"And you wasted all of this energy on all of these stupid incarnations!" Naraku growled.

"Aaah! He's scary! Scary!" The chibi version dove behind her hair to hide.

"It wasn't a waste. I like them—and they were the ones that cleaned up. Hey, introduce yourselves!" she called to them.

One of the quieter incarnations walked up to them and bowed politely. "Hello. I am Shuarra Meitsuki Number One, and I will do whatever I am told to do."  
The one at the table looked up and attempted to bow without standing, which was difficult. "Hello. I am Shuarra Meitsuki Number Two, and my duty it to manage the family finances to the best of my ability, which Mistress Shuarra Meitsuki has given me much of."

The crying one lifted her head again. "Hello. I am Shuarra Meitsuki Number Three, and I have been created from one aspect of Mistress Shuarra Meitsuki's personality—the depressed side."

"Which is rarely seen!" the original commented.

The depressed Shuarra Meitsuki resumed sobbing softly. The angry one stomped up to them and glared at them venomously. However, she spoke politely. "Hello. I am Shuarra Meitsuki Number Four, and I have been created from Mistress Shuarra Meitsuki's anger."  
"Obviously," Naraku muttered.

The one that had been screaming walked up to them, staying away from the angry one wisely. "I am Shuarra Meitsuki the Fifth, and I was created from Mistress Shuarra Meitsuki's mischievousness."

One of the five ones that had been attending Rin and Shuarra bowed. "I am Shuarra Meitsuki the Sixth, and I was made to dance whenever I feel like it! Unless instructed otherwise, in which case I'm really good with electrical appliances!"

"I am Shuarra Meitsuki the Seventh, and I was made to stand around and look pretty unless instructed to do otherwise!"

"I am Shuarra Meitsuki the Eighth, and I was made from Mistress Shuarra Meitsuki's happiness!"

"I am Shuarra Meitsuki the Ninth, and I was made from Mistress Shuarra Meitsuki's love!"

"I am Shuarra Meitsuki the Tenth, and I was created to do whatever I was told to do—and do it cheerfully!"

The parents' absolute horror was slowly growing.

The maid one suddenly froze. "Oh my gods! It's my turn!" She fell off of the balcony, hitting her face on the floor. She immediately shot up. "I'm so sorry! I'm sorrysorrysorry SORRY!" She threw herself down on the ground in front of the original. "I'm soooo sorry! It's my turn and I wasn't paying attention!"

The original glanced at the angry one, who happily obliged her. She kicked the maid in the ribs. The maid one abruptly stopped and shot to her feet again. She turned to the parents and made a deep bow. She smiled. "I am Shuarra Meitsuki the Eleventh and I was created to clean—constantly." She ran off to resume her obsessive cleaning.

The chibi one marched out of her hiding place and bowed. "I am Shuarra Meitsuki the Chibi! I'm adorable, aren't I?"

Naraku looked around, then made a quick decision. His tentacles shot out and he destroyed every single one of them, including the chibi one. It was very gratifying as well as satisfying. He glanced at his daughter. She looked like she might cry.

"This is your own fault, Shuarra Meitsuki," Kuraimaru informed her. As a retort, she slapped him and ran away to lock herself in her room for a few days. He sort of blinked and rolled his eyes. He glanced at Kaida, a little bit sheepishly, then looked away. They had something they had been meaning to tell Naraku and Sesshoumaru for several weeks, but were not quite sure how to go about it. They had agreed to tell them after their trip, but it seemed as though they were losing their nerve.

Kaida quickly regained hers, and, upon seeing that Kuraimaru had no intention whatsoever of telling them, she made the hasty decision to take it upon herself to do so. "We have news," she said bluntly.

"Yes?" Sesshoumaru said.

"Kuraimaru and I are getting married," she said even more bluntly.

Sesshoumaru didn't look the least bit surprised. For that matter, neither did Naraku. It didn't mean they weren't though. "Congratulations."

"Rin and I are making the wedding plans. I don't want anything big. Just all of you will do," Kaida said, suddenly very nervous—even sheepish. Kuraimaru had retreated beyond a veil of calm indifference, and so felt mildly safe.

"I see," Sesshoumaru said. Kaida breathed a sigh of relief when Kuraimaru's parents left for the garden. They glanced at each other, feeling a little heat run to their faces, then looked away again. It had gone over well.

Sesshoumaru had been thinking about this for a while—years, in fact. He stared at the small orb in his hand—the Shikon no Tama. A small smile played about his lips. It was okay. No one was around to see it.

Kuraimaru was getting married—finally. Now if only they could find someone for Rin and Shuarra Meitsuki… All in due time, he supposed. It wasn't like Shuarra was ready for that anyway, and Rin seemed content just the way she was. No need to rush things just because one child was getting married. It really made him feel old, though. The times nowadays made him feel old too. Something new was being invented every day it seemed. Wars had been fought, won, and lost. The times had changed, and yet, they stayed very much the same. Some things—the important things—never really change.

He hadn't seen another demon since Kaida, despite all of his many journeys to random portions of the world, it was like they were only ones left. He supposed that it had to be true. Or maybe, like Kaida had, they were constantly traveling, so of course he never saw them. Maybe, they too blended in with humans. If they did either of those, he'd never seen or sensed them.

It would almost be lonely, if not for Naraku, the twins, and Kaida. Rin must have been the loneliest though—an immortal human. She never seemed to think anything of it. Was it all a front, though? Or was it the truth when she acted like she didn't care? It was impossible to say for sure.

The Shikon no Tama. It was glowing faintly in his hand. It had granted two wishes so far. Perhaps, it was time to take back one wish, and grant another silent wish.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes. It had been worth it. It had been well-worth it. Worth every small annoyance, worth every petty problem, and every argument.

But it was time to give that up. He had found peace with himself. It wasn't the body that really mattered anyway. Yes, he would miss it. But… Making Naraku happy would be well worth it.

"Sesshoumaru! We're ready to start the wedding march! Where are you?" Rin's voice rang through the manor.

"Sesshoumaru?" Naraku called.

The others were waiting outside. Sesshoumaru was acting as the "priest," (for lack of a better term) being the only one who knew how to conduct a traditional youkai wedding.

The door to the bedroom upstairs opened. Sesshoumaru bid his time walking down the stairs. Naraku was the first one to notice, of course. Rin stared at the outfit, then back at his face—a little more feminine, a different bearing…

She didn't say it out loud, though she did gasp slightly. Neither of them could say anything. She reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Where is everybody?" Shuarra demanded, running inside from the garden, lifting her kimono to free her legs in a very un-ladylike way. She froze upon seeing Sesshoumaru and dropped the fabric, letting it fall back to the floor.

"Sesshoumaru?" Kaida called. "You're taking quite a while…" Both she and Kuraimaru, who had been walking beside her, stopped.

It was Sesshoumaru, but it wasn't. It was Sesshoumaru, all right, but as she had been born—female. She was dressed in a traditional kimono and wearing it very well.

Naraku said, very quietly, her original name, "Kareishikyo."


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

_Love_

The years had finally progressed to the late 1990s, and it had been entertaining to watch how everything had changed so rapidly over the years, though now they had to avoid humans, lest they figure out that there was something very wrong about the family—something very off indeed. The fact that none of them aged was a red flag these days, and the only one—thankfully.

Kareishikyo (Sesshoumaru) and Naraku stayed in Japan mostly, and had been for some time, though they moved frequently to avoid suspicion.

Shuarra Meitsuki, the last they had heard, was in England. She wrote letters every so often, because the long-distance calls were expensive, though she did take a flight to Tokyo every now and again to visit, and they went to visit her at least once a year. Shuarra just wanted to have fun.

The last time that they had heard from either Kaida or Kuraimaru was about three months ago, and he had been in South Africa at the time. They were going on some kind of Safari. Kuraimaru was never content to stay put. He would leave no mountain unclimbed, and no cave unexplored, no trail untrodden. The twins made sure to call each other at least once a week—Kuraimaru was always the one making the phone calls, because he was frequently no where near a phone of any sort. When he couldn't call, he wrote Shuarra, and always made sure to call his parents every now and again—but he had to keep in contact with Shuarra Meitsuki.

Rin was all the way in America (New York City, to be exact), and traveled to England and Japan frequently to visit.

The family made sure to pick one of the three destinations a year to get together for a time.

This year, the get-together was in Japan. Shuarra looked at the address on the piece of paper as she walked away from the airport. She considered getting a cab, but when she looked at how nice the weather was, she decided to walk instead. Feeling light-hearted to be back home, she almost started running. She settled for walking quickly, lest she draw attention to herself.

She had cut her hair recently, and it felt odd along the back of her neck, the disheveled ends just brushing the nape of her neck. It would take some getting used to. And, if she really hated it, she could always grow it back in a few minutes if she regenerated her hair. Still, it framed her face really well, and made her look a little less like her father, especially when she straightened her hair, like she did now.

She stepped aside for a group of high school girls coming home from school. One of the girls stopped mid-stride staring at her. Shuarra Meitsuki frowned, trying to figure out why the girl had that stunned look on her face. The girl was unremarkable in appearance. Sort of pretty, but unremarkable—long brown hair, brown eyes.

The girl involuntarily took a step back. Shuarra realized something in that instant. The girl… was a priestess. She didn't know how it could be possibly in this era, but… there she was. And, she recognized Shuarra for what she really was. That alone gave Shuarra pause. How could it be…? No one had noticed what she really was for decades. No one had sensed her aura in over a century! The last person who realized it had been an old man, who was so tired and worn that he didn't care if she was demon or not.

The other girls turned.

"Kagome, is something wrong?" one of them asked her.

The girl, Kagome, only stared at Shuarra. The other girls slowly looked at Shuarra Meitsuki, but saw nothing remarkable about her. They thought she was human… just like everyone else did.

Shuarra decided that that was enough. She smiled in a way that she hoped came across as disarming. To her, it seemed a bit forced. "Hey, are you gonna take a picture? I know I'm pretty cute, but you're just acting weird," she said. She acted like she didn't care, as if she didn't realize that this girl knew. She pretended to be an ordinary human. She brushed past her. Kagome slowly started walking with her friends again. Shuarra looked back at the girl. Kagome turned to look at Shuarra.

"Naraku…" Kagome said quietly. It was so soft that even her friends didn't hear her, and if they did, they wouldn't have known what she meant. She turned back around and started laughing.

But Shuarra had heard her. What was this girl's connection to her father? And why did she know his name? More than that, who was she?

She would have to ask.

Kuraimaru led the way to the address he had already committed to memory. Kaida followed, but stayed beside him. They had taken a bus to cut some of the distance there, but it was still quite a walk. Not that either of them minded.

Kuraimaru suddenly froze. Kaida stopped. "What's wrong?" she wondered.

He didn't answer, but looked upwards instead. Something—a flash of red—was all that she saw. Something that had leaped from one building to the building on the other side of the street, then it froze and walked back to the edge of the second building. Kuraimaru squinted against the light. The sun blocked the figure from him, but he could still smell him; he smelled like… A lot like himself, actually, and at the same time, completely different. He couldn't quite place it, come to think of it…

The figure apparently changed his mind about continuing in the direction he was headed, because he leaped off the building, landing several yards in front of the pair.

Kuraimaru blinked. The hanyou in front of him actually had a few similar features that he had; for one thing, it was an inu youkai, had silver hair, and yellow eyes. Kuraimaru's eyes weren't yellow, but they were a close shade to Shuarra's eyes.

The hanyou seemed angry for some reason.

"You smell like Sesshoumaru," he accused.

Kuraimaru blinked again. "Well, I suppose that would make sense," he said softly. "Considering that we're related."

The hanyou seemed to recoil slightly. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Kuraimaru was growing annoyed. "Walking. Get out of the way," he snapped. He started strolling forward again, Kaida following in his wake.

The hanyou moved deliberately in front of him. Kuraimaru's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Not until I figger out what yer up to," the hanyou growled. "What are you doing in this world?"

Kuraimaru raised an eyebrow. "Obviously, I'm living in it, you idiot."

The hanyou seemed painfully suspicious of something. What, Kuraimaru had no idea. "You're up t' somethin'."

The youkai had just about had enough of the hanyou's insolence. "Step aside, or I will kill you. I have no desire to fight you, but if you persist, and do not leave me to my business, I will kill you."

The hanyou was silent. Golden eyes looked in to red eyes for what seemed an eternity, as if weighing each other's souls. "Who are you?" the hanyou said. His tone was impetuous and rude, but Kuraimaru didn't think he meant it to come across that way. The heat of his anger had left his voice; the hanyou was just rude by nature.

Feeling a little bit disdainful, Kuraimaru replied, "Kuraimaru. Now move. I don't make idle threats."

The hanyou slowly stepped to the side to let Kuraimaru pass, but kept a wary eye on him as he walked by. Kaida was a little confused by the entire confrontation.

"Kuraimaru, what's going on? Who was that?" she asked him in a hushed whisper.

"I don't know," he confessed. "It's not any of our business though." He glanced back. The hanyou had slowly started walking away. He looked back at Kaida. "He and I are obviously related somehow. I'll have to ask Sesshoumaru." He still referred to his mother as "Sesshoumaru" more often than "Kareishikyo" out of habit.

Kaida nodded her agreement on the idea.

By the time that Kuraimaru and Kaida had arrived, Rin was sitting down in the living room with Sesshoumaru and Naraku, having tea. Shuarra Meitsuki was putting down her bag in her room. The other two put down their things as well and joined the rest of the family in the living room.

Before Kuraimaru could ask about the strange hanyou, Shuarra asked a question of her own.

"A human recognized me today," she said. "As a youkai, I mean." She traced the rim of her teacup with her finger. "Her name was Kagome."

Naraku and Sesshoumaru glanced at each other, frowning. They had figured out—once the times had changed, that Kagome was obviously from this era. What they couldn't figure out was how she traversed the two eras. But now their suspicions were confirmed at any rate.

"I think she's a priestess, which seems a little bit strange, I know… But she definitely knew me, and I think she knows you too, Dad," Shuarra said, looking at her father. "She said 'Naraku' when she looked at me." She cocked her head to the side. "So, who is she?"

Naraku took a sip of tea, trying to decide how to explain the phenomena. "Kagome… is a priestess—an incarnation of one at any rate with all the spiritual power of the original, if no knowledge of how to use it properly. She found a way to travel back and forth across time—I'm not certain as to how; I'm just certain that this is true. At any rate, in the past—the feudal era that you were born in—she's on a journey to kill me and retrieve the Sacred Jewel. Obviously, she failed in her duty. This is her time, and obviously, in the past, she hasn't died yet, if that makes sense."

"It makes sense… sort of…" Shuarra stammered. It only made sense if one didn't think about it too deeply.

"I also had a strange encounter today," Kuraimaru said. He waited until everyone had directed their attention to him. "I met an inu hanyou today. I'm convinced that I'm related to him somehow." He looked at Sesshoumaru, waiting for a reply.

Sesshoumaru was silent for quite some time before deciding to speak. "He's your uncle, and my half-brother," she answered. "Apparently, he can travel to this time as well. I think that, to keep problems from arising, we should move out of Japan for the next decade or so." She took a small sip of tea. "We don't need any more of these accidental encounters."

That was agreed upon by all; any more encounters could interfere with the past, and thus interfere with the present. The wrong things that happen may even mean that the twins didn't exist any more. It would be best just to avoid the possibility entirely.

The twins, Rin, and Kaida had retired for the night—exhausted from their long flight to Japan. Sesshoumaru looked at Naraku.

"We should move as soon as possible," she said. "If these occurrences had happened once, they're bound to happen again. And if Inuyasha should see either of us, he's bound to do a lot more than stand there. A battle in this era will mean trouble that we could avoid easily otherwise. And I suggest we do so within the next two weeks—maximum. With both of the twins being seen by the priestess as well as my half-brother, they'll be looking for us."

Naraku rolled his eyes. "It seems bizarre—running from them like this. I understand the need, I just don't like it."

"I know," Sesshoumaru said softly. "But let's not push our luck. We should be grateful that it was the twins, and not us."

The hanyou's arm encircled Sesshoumaru's hips. "Then we'll move as soon as possible. I'll make the arrangements this time." She nodded absently, apparently lost in thought. Naraku slowly pulled her up against him. She allowed this. "You really do look beautiful in a yukata."

She leaned her head against his shoulder, quietly accepting the compliment, though it wasn't exactly desired. They were silent for a while, listening to the insistent buzz of the cicada. A cool breeze drifted in from the open door, caressing their hair before it disappeared as quickly as it had come. Outside, the trees murmured in the wind.

The world looked peaceful, but with the hanyou and the priestess likely thinking there was trouble afoot, it wouldn't last forever. Better to just leave and let the conflict resolve itself.

Naraku suddenly pressed his lips against Sesshoumaru's. She had been so lost in thought that it took her completely by surprise, but it was a pleasant surprise—and welcome.

She moaned softly against his lips.

There was so much to do. They had to pack again, sell the house…

He was insistent against her lips.

She supposed that all that could wait for the morning.

Right now, there were more important things than some hanyou and a priestess sticking their noses where they didn't belong.

The important thing was love.

The end.


End file.
